Learning to Love
by midnightmist101
Summary: Bella is deaf and abused by Phil. She's finally had enough and decided to Move in with Charlie. Will she learn to trust men? And what is special with a guy named Edward Cullen? Rated m just in case.
1. Chapter 1

My mom came into my room and sat on the edge of bed and signed to me

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I rolled my eyes. My mom can be such a worry wart. I signed back to her

"Mom, I want to do this. I want to spend some quality time with Charlie." And to get away from Phil I added mentally.

"But you can't even talk with me and Phil. And not everybody knows sign language."

"I know mom, but I can read lips and I can talk. I just chose not to because I can't hear myself. I promise to email everyday." I signed.

"Okay then, if you're sure." She said. "I'm sure mom." I signed. "Okay then it's time to go." And with that she picked up a couple of my bags and left. I got up and took one last long of my bedroom and picked up the rest of my bags. I went to go get in the car to go to the airport when I tripped and fell down the stairs.

"Bella, what are we going to do with you?" Phil asked will an evil smile grin. I knew what was coming. The next thing I knew was his hand making contact with my face. Then he was kicking me in the side until he heard a crack, which meant he was please with what he did.

It took me a couple tries to get on my feet and walked out to the car.

"Bella, what happened to you?" my mom signed.

"I fell down the stairs again." I signed back.

"Be careful Bella. Remember the last time you fell down the stairs?" I mentally sighed. The last time I fell down the stairs I had ended up in the hospital for a week. I shudder at the memory. When we got to the airport, I told my mom bye and got on the airplane and waited for the four hour plane ride to stop.

When I got to Port Angeles, Charlie was waiting for me, naturally.

"Hey Bells. How are you? What happened?" he signed as he saw my bruise from where Phil had slapped me.

"Hey dad. I'm good. I just fell down the stairs when I was heading toward the car." I signed back. I've always been a bad liar but have gotten better since

Phil started hitting me. I never told anyone that Phil was hitting me. I just told everybody that I tripped and fell, which could easily happened because

I'm the clumsiest person ever. When we got to Charlie's house I went up to my old room to get settled in. That's the one thing I love about Charlie is that

he doesn't hover. So I was free to let a few tears escape and not have to answer a whole bunch of questions.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own anything Twilight. **

* * *

I don't know how long I cried but I must have fallen asleep. I woke up to my bed vibrating, which is my alarm clock. My eyes were red from crying and they hurt. I suddenly realized that today is my first day of Forks High School. I am the new toy here and I'm surely going to get stared at. Added the fact that I'm deaf and nobody else here is, I'm the new toy that is a freak. I sat up too quickly and made my ribs hurt. Great…. This will be a fun day I thought to myself. After I sat there for a couple of minutes, I got up slowly and picked out clothes to wear for today and put on my makeup so that none of my bruises were showing.

I went downstairs and got my breakfast, Fruit Loops, while staring out the window that is in the kitchen. I was thinking about Olivia and Phil. I screamed when somebody tapped me on the shoulder trying to get my attention. My face was probably a sight to see after so many years of Phil's abuse. Charlie backed up, scared of my reaction. I mean, I jumped at least 5 feet in the air.

I signed to him "I'm fine. You just scared me." It took me a couple of times before my hands stopped shaking enough so that Charlie could actually read it. I could tell that he didn't believe me, but he didn't press it.

"What were you thinking about? You looked deep in thought." He signed to me, still looking slightly worried. I frowned. I didn't want him to know who I was really thinking about so I lied.

I decided that I need to practice speaking for school, so I took a deep breath and said "I was thinking about the first day of school. And how everything is going to be so confusing." He was shocked at first, but then he became skeptical.

"Bella" he said. Then he pulled me into a bone crushing huge that hurt. He must still be working out.

"Bella, you looked like you were holding her necklace in a death grip." He told me.

He looked worried, sad, and scared. I looked down, embarrassed by his concern and sort of scared. I knew that Charlie didn't want to talk about her anymore than I did. We both loved her and thought that she had died too young. But only me and Phil know exactly how she died. If Charlie knew then he would probably go and kill him, and personally I couldn't deal with Charlie in prison and me living back with Phil. So instead of answering him I just went and put my bowl in the sink and grabbed my bag while heading out to the cruiser.

"It's time for school" I shouted, or at least I hope I did.

Charlie walked out a couple minutes later dressed in police outfit. He locked the door and climbed into the cruiser and we where heading to school. It was really embarrassing to have your dad drive you to school when you're in high school. I do have my driver's license, but Charlie feels that it is too dangerous to drive when I'm deaf. I was mad at first but then I got over it because he is only trying to protect me. We didn't talk the whole way to school because Charlie couldn't sigh while driving and I couldn't read his lips so we just didn't talk. When we arrived at the school I took a long look around. It didn't look like a school. It looked like a collection of matching houses.

I grabbed my bag and signed to Charlie "Thanks".

"You're welcome." He said and to my embarrassment, he kissed my forehead making me blush.

"Have a good day" he told me.

I shut the door and walked to the first building that said FRONT OFFICE. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Inside it was brightly lit and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding folding chairs, orange flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, and a big clock. Plants were everywhere as if there weren't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind it, one of which was run by a large, red haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, which immediately made me feel overdressed. The red haired woman looked up.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm Isabella Swan" I informed her and saw the immediate awareness in her eyes.

I was expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. Deaf Daughter of the chiefs flightily ex-wife, come home at last. She dug through the piles of papers on her desk and then gave me the two papers that she had grabbed. One was my schedule and the other was a map of the school. She highlighted the best way to each of my classes and gave me a slip that each of my teachers had to sign and that I had to bring back at the end of the day. I put them in my bag so they wouldn't get wet and smiled at the lady in thanks. She smiled back and wished me luck.

I took a deep breath and walked outside. I saw cars going into the parking lot and so I just followed them. I walked into the classroom and hung my jacket up where other people where putting theirs. I took my slip up to the teacher, a tall balding man whose nameplate identified as Mr. Turner. He stared at me when he realized who I was and of course, I blushed. He then put me in an open seat in the front of the classroom because of me being deaf. Even though I couldn't see or hear my new classmates, I knew they were staring and talking about me. I managed to keep up with the teacher and take notes. When the other students started packing up, I assumed that the bell had rung. So I gathered up my books when a boy with skin problems and black hair came up to greet me.

"You're Isabella Swan, right?" I flinched. I didn't like people to call me Isabella because only Phil called me that.

"Bella" I corrected him. He looked surprised.

"I thought that you were deaf" he told me. I smiled slightly.

"I am, but I can read lips and talk."

"Can you do sign language?" he asked, looking excited. I nodded.

"That's really cool. What's your next class?"

"Um, government with Jefferson in building six."

"I'm headed toward building four. I could show you the way." I smiled tentatively.

"Thanks" We got our jackets and started walking to our next class. It was very uncomftable because he was trying to talk to me and I had to read his lips to understand him, but I was trying not to trip so I was basically ignoring him. He walked me to he door even though it was clearly marked.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you, it's just that I'm really clumsy and I was trying not to trip." He nodded, understanding.

"Well, good luck." He said as I touched the door handle.

"Maybe we will have some other classes together." He looked hopeful.

I just smiled at him and went inside. The rest of the morning passed in the same fashion. A lunch I sat with a girl named Jessica, who I sat next to in Trig and Spanish, and her friends, which included Eric. I was trying to keep up with their conversation when I first saw them.

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them. They weren't talking and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. But then again why would they? They weren't gawking at me, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without the fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught, and held, my attention.

They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular and honey blonde. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze colored hair. He was more boyish then the others, who looked like they could be in college or even teachers here rather than students.

The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. The short girl was pixie like, thin to the extreme with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.

And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had purplish bruise like shadows, as if they were all suffering from a sleepless night or almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though all their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular.

But all this is not why I couldn't look away. I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. Because they weren't human. Their act didn't fool because I knew what they were. They were blood sucking monsters. Vampires. And they were thirsty. I wonder how nobody knows that there are vampires here in Forks.

I nudged Jessica in her side and ask her "Who are they?"

As she looked up up to see who I meant when suddenly he looked at her, the boyish one, the youngest perhaps. He looked at her for just a fraction of a second and then his dark eyes flickered to mine. He looked away more quickly, more quickly than I could. I'm sure he could see the anger in my eyes. Jessica looked like she was giggling in embarrassment because she was looking at the table while I looked at her.

"That's Edward, Emmett, and Alice Cullen and Rosalie and Jasper hale. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She told me. I glanced at them again. If they were all vampires that probably means that their parents are vampires too. But how can a vampire be a doctor? I would have to find out.

"They are very nice looking." I struggle with a conspicuous understatement.

"Yes" Jessica agreed with what looked like another giggle. "They're all together though. Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper and Alice I mean. And they live together." Of course they would. I mean why wouldn't they when they can't sleep.

"Which ones are the cullens?" I asked her. "They don't look related." They aren't I say in my mind.

"Oh they're not." I was right. "Dr. Cullen I really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales are brother and sister, twins- the blondes- and they're foster children."

"They look a little old to be foster children."

"They are now. Jasper and Rosalie are both 18, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that." That's a nice cover story. I wonder how they can all live together though.

"That's really nice of them to take care of all them, when they're so young and everything."

"I guess so." She admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like them for so young. With the glances that she was throwing at their "adopted" children, I would assume that the reason was jealously. I chuckled to myself mentally. If you only knew Jessica.

"I think that Mrs. Cullen can't have any kids though" she added. Again I mentally chuckled. She had no idea.

"Where did they move here from?"

"They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska." Of course, somewhere where there is not a lot of sun. As I examined them, the youngest, one of the Cullens, looked up and meet my gaze. As I looked swiftly away, it seemed to me that his glance held some kind of unmet expectation.

"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" I asked. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, and he was still staring at me, but not gawking like the other students had today- he had a slightly frustrated expression. I looked at Jessica again.

"That's Edward. He gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently, none of the girls here are good looking enough for him." She sniffed a clear case of sour grapes. I wonder when he'd turned her down. If only you knew Jessica I said to myself mentally. I bit my lip to hide my smile. Then I glanced at him again. His face was turned away, but I thought his check appeared lifted, as if he were smiling too. He was probably thinking the same thing.

After a few more minutes they got up and walked gracefully and dumped their trays and left. I sat at the table with Jessica and her friends longer than I would have if I'd been sitting alone. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day. One of my new acquaintances whose name is Angela had biology 2 with my next hour. We walked to class together in silence. She was shy too. When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a block topped lab table exactly like the ones we had in Phoenix. She already had a neighbor. In fact all the tables were filled but one. Next to the center aisle, I recognized Edward Cullen by his unusual hair, sitting next to that single open seat.

As I walked down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher and get my slip signed, I was watching him surreptitiously. Just as I passed, he suddenly went rigid in his seat. He stared at me again; meeting my eyes with the strangest expression on his face- it was hostile, furious. I looked away quickly, shocked, going red again. I stumbled over a book in the walkway and had to catch myself on the edge of a table. I'd noticed that his eyes were black-coal black. He was thirsty.

Mr. Banner signed my slip and handed me a book with no nonsense about introductions. I could tell we were going to get along. Of course, he had no choice but to send me to the only open seat in the middle of the classroom. I moved my chair as far away from him as possible. I also covered my neck with my hair. I didn't feel like dying today. I tried to pay attention to the teacher. Unfortunately the lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I'd already studied. I took notes carefully anyway, always looking down. The one time I looked at Edward, he was still leaning as far away from me as possible.

The class seemed to drag on longer than the others. Was it because the day was coming to an end or because of the danger that was less than three feet away? I peeked up at him one more time, and regretted it. He was glaring down at me again, his black eyes full of revulsion. As I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair, I thought about the phrase if looks can kill. He reminded of Phil because Phil used to look at me like that. At that moment, he jumped out of his seat- he was much taller than I thought- his back to me and was out of the door before anyone else. I began gathering my things slowly, trying to block out the memory of the vampire that had killed my aunt. When I looked up there was a cute baby faced boy, his pale blond hair carefully gelled into orderly spikes, smiling at me in a friendly way.

"Aren't you Isabella Swan?" he asked me. I flinched.

"Bella" I corrected with a smile, even though smiling was the last thing I wanted to do at the time.

"I'm Mike"

"Hi Mike"

"Do you need any help finding your next class?"

"I'm heading toward art actually. I think I can find it."

"Oh, well see you later!"

Art was fun, except that I have Alice Cullen in it. She smiled at me and I just glared at her. She frowned at me but didn't talk to me. The final bell rang at last. I walked slowly to the office to return my paperwork. The rain had drifted away, but the wind was strong, and colder. I wrapped my arms around myself.

When I walked into the warm office, I almost turned around and walked back out. Edward Cullen stood at the desk in front of me. I recognized again that tousled bronze hair. He didn't appear to notice the sound of my entrance. I stood pressed against the back wall, waiting for the receptionist to be free. He was arguing with her. I quickly picked up the gist of the argument. He was trying to trade from sixth hour biology to another time- any other time. I would be glad not to have him in my class, sitting next to me. The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling my hair around my face. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. But Edward Cullen's back stiffened and he turned slowly to glare at me- his face was absurdly handsome- with piercing, hate filled eyes. I was looking back at him with the hate in my eyes. He turned back to the receptionist and said something to her and then turned on his heel without another look at me, and disappeared out the door. I went meekly to the desk, my face white for once instead of red and handed her the signed slip.

"How did your first day go, dear?" she asked maternally.

"Fine" I lied, my voice weak. She didn't look convinced. When I got into the cruiser I didn't talk to Charlie, and he could tell that I didn't want to talk so he didn't talk to me. When we got home, I went straight to my bed and locked the door and cried.

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**This took forever to write! I will try to update sooner but I have a bunch ice skating practices coming up so I don't know if I can! Please review! =)**


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own twilight.

The next day was better and worse. It was better because it wasn't raining yet, though the clouds were dense and opaque. It was easier because I knew what to expect of my day. Mike came and sat by me in English and walked me to my next class; with chess club Eric glaring at him all the while; that was flattering. People didn't look at me quite as much as they had yesterday. I sat with a big group of people at lunch that included Mike, Eric, Jessica, and several other people whose names and faces I now remembered. I began to feel like I was treading water instead of drowning in it.

It was worse because I was tired: I still couldn't sleep with my nightmares. It was worse because Mr. Varner called me in Trig when my hand wasn't raised and I had the wrong answer. And it was worse because Alice tried to talk to me. In my mind, I ran through the conversation again.  
_(Flashback.  
"hey Bella." Alice said. I just glared at her. She frowned.  
_

"_Why don't you talk to us?" I was shocked because, at the time I thought that she meant that their was another one of her brothers or sister was in the class with us.  
_

"_Us?" She laughed, I could tell because her shoulders were shaking.  
_

"_I knew I could get you to talk." I turned my back to her. She tapped my shoulder.  
_

"_What?" I snapped at her.  
_

"_Nothing" she said, frowning.  
_

_I walked away muttering "Stupid vampires" under my breath, forgetting that she could her me. The next time I looked at her, she was looking at me with a look of shock, curiously, and suspicision.)_

She hasn't talked to me since, but sometimes at lunch I see her and her "family" looking at me. But Edward still hadn't come back to school, so it was a shock when I walked into the cafeteria and there he was! All five of them were here now.

They were laughing. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett, all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day just like everyone else- only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us. But something was different. I was staring at them, trying to pick up the difference when Jessica poked me.

"Bella, what are you staring at?" she intruded, her eyes following me stare. At that precise moment his eyes flashed over to meet mine. I dropped my head, letting me hair fall over to conceal my face. I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that he didn't look harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way. Jessica poked me again. I looked up at her.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you." She giggled.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" I couldn't help asking.

"No" she said, looking confused by my question. "Should he be?"

"I don't think that he likes me." I Confided.

"The cullens don't like anybody… Well they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you.

"Stop looking at him." I hissed.

She laughed but looked away. Mike interrupted us then- he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Mike left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested. I kept silent. I would have to hide in the art room until the parking lot cleared. I didn't really want to walk to class with mike as usual- he seemed to be a popular target for the snowball snipers- but when we went to the door, everyone besides me groaned in unison. It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I pulled up my hood up, secretly pleased. I would be free to go straight to the cruiser after art. Even though I couldn't hear, I could tell that mike was keeping up a string of complaints on the way to building four. Once inside the classroom, I saw, wit relief, that my table was completely empty. Mr. Banner was walking around, distributing one microscope and a box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and people were talking. I kept my eyes away from the door, doodling idly on the cover of my notebook. I saw out of the corner of my eye when he sat down, but didn't talk to him.

He slid a piece of paper to me and it said "hello" in his clear, elegant script. I looked up, stunned that he was speaking to me. He was sitting as far as the desk allowed but his chair was angled toward me. His hair was dripping wet, disheveled- even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless face. But his eyes were careful.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan." My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now. I had to speak; he was waiting. But I couldn't think of anything conventional to say.

"H- How do you know my name?" I asked. His shoulders shook; he was laughing.

"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town has been waiting for you to arrive." I grimaced. I knew it was something stupid like that.

"No" I persisted stupidly. "I meant, why did you call me Bella?" He seemed confused.

"Do you prefer Isabella?" I flinched.

"No, I like Bella," I said. "But I think Charlie- I mean my dad- must call me Isabella behind my back- that's what everyone here seems to know me as," I tried to explain, feeling like an utter moron.

"Oh." He let it drop. I looked away awkwardly. Thankfully, Mr. Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right.

"Get started." He commanded. I looked up at Edward.

"Ladies first, partner?" he asked, smiling a crooked smile so beautiful that I could only stare at him like an idiot.

"Or I could start, if you wish," The smile faded, obviously wondering if I was mentally competent.

"No," I said flushing. "I'll go ahead." I was showing off, just a little. I'd already done this lab, and I knew what I was looking for, it should be easy. I snapped the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusted it quickly to the 40x objective. I studied the slide briefly. My assessment was confident.

"Prophase." His hand caught mine, to stop me. His fingers were ice cold, as I expected. But that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When he touched, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us.

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling his hand back immediately.

"But do you mind if I look?" As he asked, he reached for the microscope. I watched him, still staggered, as he examined the slide for an even shorter time than I had.

"Prophase." He agreed, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet.

"That's what I said stupid vampire." I said under my breath and he smirked. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, and then glanced at it cursorily.

"Anaphase" he murmured, writing it down as he spoke. I kept me voice indifferent.

"May I?" he smirked and pushed it toward me. I looked through the eyepiece eagerly, only to be disappointed. Dang it, he was right. Stupid vampire.

"Slide three?" I held my hand out without looking at him. He handed it to me; it seemed like he was being careful not to touch my skin again. I took the most fleeting look I could manage.

"Interphase."

I passed him the microscope before he could ask for it. He took a swift look and then wrote it down. I would have written it down while he looked, but his clear, elegant script intimidated me. I didn't want to spoil the page with my clumsy scrawl.

We were finished before anyone else was close. I could see Mike and his partner comparing two slides again and again, and another group had their textbook open under the table. This left me with nothing to do but to try not to look up at him… unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly, I identified that subtle difference in his eyes.

"Why are your eyes gold and not red?" His eyes were a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone. He smiled gently.

"Alice told me that you knew."

"Yes, now are you going to answer my question?"

"I wanted to talk to you about that."

Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab and then stared more intently to check the answers.

"So Edward, didn't think Isabella," I flinched. "Should get a chance with the microscope?" Mr. Banner asked.

"Bella," Edward corrected automatically. "Actually, she identified three of the five." Mr. Banner looked at me now; his expression was skeptical.

"Have you done this lab before?" he asked.

I smiled sheepishly. "Not with an onion root." "Whitefish blastula?" "Yeah." Mr. Banner nodded.

"Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"

"Yes"

"Well," he said after a moment "I guess it's good you two are lab partners." After he left, I looked back at Edward.

"Talk to me about what?" I asked him.

"About us,' he said. I nodded.

"When?"

"Can you come after school today?"

"Well, I'll have to ask Charlie," Then I stopped and my eyes got big and my heart accelerated.

"Bella?" Edward asked, looking worried.

"You won't me to go alone to a house full of vampires?" He understood.

"Bella, we won't hurt."

Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and I turned with relief to listen. I tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated with transparencies on the overhead projector, what I had seen without difficulty through the microscope. But my thoughts were unmanageable. Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had on Monday. And like last Monday, I stared after him in amazement. Mike skipped quickly to my sides and picked up my books for me. I imagined him with a wagging tail.

"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner."

"I didn't have any trouble with it," I said, stung by his assumption. I regretted the snub instantly. "I've done the lab before though." I added before he could get his feelings hurt.

"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," he commented as we shrugged into our raincoats. He didn't seem pleased about it. I tried to sound indifferent, but I don't know how well it sounded.

"I wonder what was with him last Monday."

We went our separate ways, me to art and him to gym. I talked to Alice today, as we were in the middle of a partner project. We were drawing portraits of each other.

"So you're coming over today to talk, right?" she asked me.

"Um, I have to ask Charlie so I don't know. And plus, I don't know if I'm ready to tell that story." She nodded, understanding.

"You know, no one is going to hurt you right?" I nodded.

"And you know that no one is going to judge you right?" Again, I just nodded

. "And whether or not you tell the story, we'll understand. So don't worry. Oh and by the way, I'll help you with Charlie."

I smiled. "Thanks" We worked in silence for the rest of the class. After the bell rang, she went to her locker and then met me at mine.

"Hello Chief Swan!" Alice called to Charlie as we approached the cruiser.

"Well, hello Alice. What can I do for you today?"

"Me and my family want to know if Bella can come over today and then we can drive her home."

Charlie signed to me "Do you want to go?" I nodded.

"Well then, has fun," he told us both.

"We will! Thank you!" she told him, then kissed his check and waved goodbye. I did the same.

We went to their sliver Volvo and got in. Emmett and Rosalie must have ran. The ride to their house was short thanks to Edward's crazy driving. We passed over the bridge at the Calawah River, the road winding northward, the houses flashing past us growing father apart, getting bigger. And then we were past the other houses altogether, driving through misty forest. I was trying to decide whether to ask or be patient, when he turned abruptly onto an unpaved road. It was unmarked, barely visible among the ferns. The forest encroached on both sides, leaving the road ahead only discernible for a few meters as it twisted, serpent like, around the ancient trees. And then, after a few miles, there was some thinning of the woods, and we were suddenly in a small meadow, or was it actually a lawn? The gloom of the forest didn't relent, though, for there were six primordial cedars that shaded an entire acre with their vast sweep of branches. The trees held their protecting shadow right up to the walls that rose among them, making obsolete the deep porch that wrapped around the first story.

I don't know what I had expected, but it definitely wasn't this. The house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular, and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration.

They lead me inside. The inside was even more surprising, less predictable, than the exterior. It was very bright, very open, and very large. This must have originally been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most of the first floor to create one wide open space. The back, south- facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass, and, beyond the shade of the cedars, the lawn stretched bare to the wider river. A massive curving staircase dominated the west side of the room. The walls, the high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were all varying shades of white. Waiting to greet us, standing just to the left of the door, on a raised portion of the floor by a spectacular grand piano, were their parents.

I'd never seen Dr. Cullen before but he was nothing like what I had imagined. He was young, blonde, and was handsomer than any movie star I'd ever seen. At his side was Mrs. Cullen. She had the same pale, beautiful features as the rest of them. Something about her heart- shaped face, her billows of soft, Carmel- colored hair, reminded me of the ingénues of the silent movie era. She was small, slender yet less angular, more rounded than the others. They were both dressed casually, in light colors that matched the inside of the house. They smiled in welcome, but made no move to approach us. Trying not to frighten me, I guess. Alice went up to them and said something, but I don't know what she said because they were talking to fast for me to catch it.

"Hello Bella."

"Hello Dr. Cullen." I said.

"Please call me Carlisle."

"Carlisle." Carlisle's step was measured, careful as he approached me. He raised his hand tentatively, but I just kind of of looked at it. He frowned slightly and lowered his hand.

"Hello Bella."

"Hello Mrs. Cullen."

"Please call me Esme." I smiled.

They started walking to the coach. Emmett and Rosalie, who just came in, sat in a chair together. The other couples did the same. Me and Edward sat on the coach, but on opposite sides. They looked at me, waiting. I took a deep breath and began.

"Charlie and Renee got married straight out of high school and had my sister, Olivia. Then they had me. Well. Renee was unhappy, so she left and took me and Olivia with her. We moved to Phoenix to be closer to her sister, our aunt Marie." I smiled even tears where in my eyes as I thought about her."

"She was the kind of person who everybody liked. She knew who to have a party. She was determined. We were really close. Olivia was always closer to my mom, but I was closer to Aunt Marie. I think we were closer because we were both deaf, so we knew what each other was going through. But then my mom met Phil." I made a face when I said his name.

"They dated for awhile and then they got married on a beach in Mexico. It was a beautiful wedding. They were really happy, and we were happy because they were happy. My mom decided to go back to school so she was away a lot more. Phil lost his job and started drinking. He would be drunk all day. One day he got super angry, and he hit us. That was how he took his anger out. I started to avoid my mom and my aunt. One day he was really mad. I mean there isn't even a word to describe how mad he was. I don't even know why he was mad. Me and Olivia were sitting around talking and he came in with a baseball bat. I don't know why he chose her. He could have easily chosen me. He beat her with it. I remember her scared eyes and the pain in them. I tried to stop him, but I couldn't." Tears were streaming down my face by now.

"Then he spotted me and grabbed me by the throat and told me to help him make it look like a burglar broke in and killed her or else. I didn't want to find out what or else meant, so I helped him. I don't really remember the next few days very much. The only thing I remember was my mom finding out. She reacted just like any other mom would. She was heart broken and Phil comforted her, but he didn't tell her anything. I came so close to telling her, but every time I came close Phil's words came floating back into my mind. He still hit me every time my mom went out. One weekend my aunt wanted me to spend the weekend at her house. So of course, I went. When I got there, I took a shower to delay spending time with her. But I forgot my clothes, so I had to got to the bedroom in my towel and she saw me and my bruises. So she asked me about them, and I lied. I told her that I fell, which is easily believable because I'm really clumsy. But she saw through me and guessed the truth. I broke down and told her everything. She was crying too and told me that she wanted to help me. So that night, we started planning on how to get me out of there. It was around midnight when someone broke in. The guy that broke in was beautiful. He had blood red eyes that turned black when he saw us. Then the female came in. she had bright orange hair, like a flame. She held me back w- while he drank her blood." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"They threatened me not to tell or else they would track me down and kill me. Then they broke ankle and left. I screamed and the neighbors came over to investigate. They saw her body and called the police. I was questioned for hours and had to draw them a sketch of who did it but, of course, they haven't found them. I left to come here a couple of months after that. I told my mom that I couldn't stay there anymore. Too many memories. So imagine my shock when I found out that there are seven vampires here in Forks. But I do have a question for you guys." I said nervously.

I looked at them. All the girls had tears in their eyes. Edward looked mad and so did Emmett. Jasper looked like was in pain. Carlisle looked concerned, but something else was in his eyes, but I couldn't quite tell what it was.

"Yes," Carlisle answered. "You can ask anything you want, if we can ask you some In return too."

I nodded. "Why are your eyes gold and not red?"

"We drink animal blood, not human," Carlisle said.

"What's it like being deaf?"

I frowned, thinking. "I don't really know because I've never been able to hear. So I'm not sure what I'm missing. It's confusing when people talk too fast or when too many people are talking at the same time. But being deaf, you learn who your true friends are. But anyway, I know vampires have super speed, can talk really fast, have super strength, are super graceful. What else?"

Carlisle smiled. "Some vampires have special gifts. Edward can read minds, Jasper can feel and change emotions, and Alice can see the future." I turned to Edward.

"You can read my mind? You heard what I thought just now?"

Edward frowned. "I can't read your mind."

I smiled. "Good. But why?"

"I don't know. The only guess I have is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM. What were you thinking?"

I smirked. "Don't worry, it wasn't anything bad."

"That's really frustrating, you know." I just smiled and turned away.

Everybody else was shaking with silent laughter. Well, it was silent to me. Emmett sobered up first.

"If you ever had a chance to, would you go back and have a normal life?" Everybody stopped laughing and looked at me.

"I don't really know. Everything I've had happened to me and everything I've seen has made me stronger. Even when I came here and saw you guys, it brought back the memories I'd been running away from. So thank you."

They all smiled, even though they still looked sad. Emmett came over with a big goofy grin on his face and pulled me into a big, huge bear hug. I couldn't breathe and it made my ribs hurt really badly. I started crying again. He set me down quickly and gently. I clutched my side and Carlisle came over and rearranged me so that I was lying on their coach. Everybody was watching him. He lifted my shirt up, just below my bra and started examining my ribs, which were black and blue. Everybody looked mad.

"You have several broken and bruised ribs. Can I ask how he did this?"

Tears were still streaming down my face but I had collected myself enough to answer him.

"It happened the day I left. I fell down the stairs, only to be meant by Phil at the bottom. He slapped me and then he kicked me until he heard something crack." Carlisle smiled sadly.

"I'll get you some pain medicine and then Alice will drive you home." I smiled.

"Thank you." With another smile for me, he left. Edward turned to me.

"Why do you read lips and talk instead of doing sign language?" "I don't want people to remember me as the deaf girl. I'm not going to let being deaf define me. And plus not a lot of people know sign language."

Carlisle came down then and gave me the medicine and helped me up. Alice went and got my backpack and led me to their car. The car ride home was silent. All I could think was that I just told my life story to seven vampires. I thanked Alice again and told Charlie that I wasn't hungry. Then I went up stairs and fell asleep because I was emotionally exhausted.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't anythng related to Twilight.

* * *

The next day I was super tired. Sharing my story made me have nightmare. I woke up at least 10 times, screaming at the top of my lungs as Charlie told me. My throat hurt and I had a headache. After Charlie dropped me off at school, I walked straight to the picnic benches and put my sweatshirt on the bench and laid my head down on my arms and closed my eyes. I don't know how long I sat there, resting, when I felt the bench sink when somebody sat down beside me. I opened my eyes and turned my head slightly to see that it was Emmett who had sat besides me and that the rest of them were standing behind him.

"Hey," he said. I waved slightly.

"Are you going to talk to us?" he asked. I shook my head no and saw the hurt look on all of their faces.

"Rough night," I squeaked out. The hurt look on their faces melted into an understanding one. Emmett put his arm around my shoulders and I tensed, waiting for the memories to hit me like someone was throwing bricks at me, but they didn't so I leaned into his side. You could tell that they were shocked, but the thing that Emmett did next shocked everyone.

"What happened?" he signed.

"You know ASL?" I asked him, still looking shocked. He laughed.

"Yes," he answered. "My mom was deaf when I was human. Now are you going to answer my question or not?"

"Well, after telling you guys my story, I had a lot of nightmares. I mean more than usual. I woke up at least 10 times screaming at the top of my lungs according to Charlie. And I'm just so confused."

"Confused about what? And why aren't you talking?"

"I'm confused because you guys are vampires and I really like you guys but it goes against everything I know to be friends and hang out with you guys. And plus, I think I like Edward." I said while blushing a little. He jumped up and ran around jumping and clapping his hands like a little who just got told that he could have as much candy as he wanted. But since I was leaning on him and he got up, I started to fall but someone caught me. I knew it was Edward because of the electric current that passed between us. He helped me up and I smiled in thanks. I then looked at Emmett who was still jumping around.

"Emmett Cullen!" I yelled as loud as I could and then winced. He turned to look back at me with a sheepish expression on his face and walked over to me.

" First of all I said I think I like him. Second of all, don't get your hopes up because I'm still really scared of guys and vampires. Third of all, I'm not talking because my throat is killing me from all the screaming I did last night. Fourth of all, please don't tell anyone that I think I like Edward. Fifth of all, will you please tell them that I won't tell anybody?" I asked him.

He smiled and nodded. I smiled and grabbed my bag and waved goodbye to everyone. In English, I could tell that people were looking at me, but I couldn't quite bring myself to care. Eric tried to talk to me when we were walking but I didn't even try to keep up because I felt horrible. Math was awful, as always, so it was a relief to go to lunch. I was hoping that having lunch would help my headache. I walked into the lunchroom and got my lunch. But then I stopped. Would the Cullen's want me to sit with them? Or would they want me to sit with Jessica, Mike, and all them? Alice waved then, answering my thoughts.

"Sit by me!" she told me.

So I sat down in the only empty chair there which was between Emmett and Alice. As I went to sit down in the chair, Emmett pulled my chair out from behind me, making me fall on my butt. They were all glaring at Emmett but to my surprise, Jasper came over and offered me his hand to help me up. I hesitated for just a moment, but then accepted. His hand was cold, of course. But what shocked me the most was that only a couple of the memories came back, which brought tears to my eyes. He immediately let go of my hand and I gathered up my stuff and headed toward the doors. Once I was outside, I sank down to the ground and just cried. I was barely aware that they had followed me to make sure I was okay.

Once I had stop crying long enough to make sense of my surrounderings, I felt embarrassed that I had broken down like that.

"Jasper feels bad," Emmett signed to me. I looked up at Jasper, who looked ashamed. "Jasper, don't feel bad." I squeaked.

"No Bella. You don't understand. Someone as sweet and caring as you shouldn't have to go through what you have gone through. You shouldn't have to go through that every time a guy touches you. It makes me so mad! No don't talk," he said when he saw that I was going to interrupt.

"Look you don't deserve what happened to you and you won't ever will. Come on, the bell rang. I'll walk with you to biology," Edward said.

Jasper, who was closest to me, offered me his hand again. I took it and was shocked when none of the memories came back. I let go of his hand and smiled, my way of telling him that none of the memories came back. He smiled back and then grabbed Alice's hand and left. We walked to biology in silence, but it wasn't awkward. In science, we still didn't talk because I was spacing out, thinking about the Cullen's.

I wasn't scared of Emmett, though I was at first. He looks really scary but really he's just a big teddy bear who's a softy.

Jasper is the type of person who is really shy at first but once you get to know him, he's really outgoing. He is really protective of his family and he cares.

Rosalie is self centered but deep down she cares. She is really protective of their secret but she would do anything for her family.

Alice is the kind of person that everybody likes, unless she tells you of for being a bitch. She loves shopping and fashion. She reminds me of Olivia. That thought brought tears to my eyes. I swallowed the sobs that were starting to sound.

Instead I thought about the person sitting next to me. Edward. Where do I start? The first day I saw him, he wanted to kill me. When he came back, he seemed like a decent guy who cares. And then I told them my story. He was really mad and that was really sweet. And I don't know, he's just really sweet and caring and I like that. But there's one thing that is scary about him and that's the fact that he is a vampire. An it hurts me because I really do want to be friends with all of them but to do that I would have to ignore all the feelings of fear that you have when you're around vampires. And that is easier said then done. I swear I need a therapist for all the problems I have. But then again, I would probably just end up in a padded room. My thoughts were interrupted by a poke in my arm. I looked up to see Edward smiling my crooked smile.

"It's time to go to class. Are you coming?" I blushed and nodded.

"What were you thinking about?" he asked me. I pointed to him.

"Me?" he asked shocked.

"What about me?" I smiled.

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out." I said even though my throat was killing me. I waved goodbye and walked into the art room, where Alice was laughing her ass off.

"That was awesome! Did you see his face?" she asked. Even though I was shaking with my silent laughter, I nodded.

"See that is further proof that you belong in this family!" she said.

"Further proof?" I asked.

"Oh come on! Everybody can see the way that you two look at each other. You two are meant to be together forever." Wait, when she said forever did she mean what I think she meant?

"Bella?" Alice asked, slightly worried.

"But he's a vampire!" I said in panic. She relaxed and rolled her eyes.

"Bella, you know that he wouldn't do anything to hurt you because if he did then we would all kick his ass."

"But why would you do that for me though? I'm just a silly and deaf human that knows your guys secret." I said.

Alice replied "You don't see yourself very clearly. You are the most kind, kind hearted, stubborn, forgiving, trustworthy human we have ever met. Emmett and Jasper think of you as their little sister, who they can protect and kick guy's asses who hit on you. Even though Rosalie acts like she doesn't care, she really does like you and doesn't like what you have been through. You're my first little sister and it's my job to tell you when you're wrong and to set you straight. Carlisle and Esme think of you as another daughter. And Edward cares about you. You guys are soul mates. So don't say that ever again!"

I was shocked that they all cared about me that much. Once I got over my shock I got up and gave her a hug.

"Thank you." I whispered.

She smiled. "That's what sisters are for."

* * *

I'm sorry it took so long to update. I have been in the hospital and I will try to update sooner.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own anything related to Twilight.

* * *

The class gathered their stuff, which told me that the bell had rung. I went to gather up my stuff, but Alice had beaten me to it.  
"Thanks," I said as I took my books from her.

"So, are you coming over tonight?" she asked.

"Sure, but I have to ask Charlie again. Hey, can I show you guys something tonight?" I asked her shyly.  
"Silly Bella," she laughed. "You don't have to ask to do stuff like that." We walked to my locker and then walked to the Cruiser, where Charlie was waiting.  
"Dad, can I please go over to Alice's house? Please? Please? Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with cherries on top? Pretty please with cherries on top with extra sugar? Pretty please with-"My dad interrupted me then.  
"Yes Bella. You can go over there."  
"Thanks daddy! I will love you forever and always!" I laughed because that is what me and Olivia used to say to my dad when we wanted something. He laughed.  
"Now I know something is up. What do you want?"

I put on a shocked expression and said "What are you talking about father?"

But as soon as I was done talking, Alice asked him "Can Bella spend the night?" I looked wide-eyed at her and she winked at me.  
"Please daddy? I'll love you forever and always! Plus, I would be saying out of those guys's way tonight." I begged.  
"Holy shit!" he yelled. "I forgot they wee due today. Okay you can but here are the rules: 1. no sleeping with any of the guys. 2. You have to sleep with Alice. 3. be polite. 4. You have to come home tomorrow. 5. You have to call your mom when you get there." I rolled my eyes, but agreed anyway. I gave him a kiss on the check and he drove away. I turned back to the Cullen's, knowing that they would have questions for me.

"What guys are coming to your house tonight?" Edward asked.

"The light people," I said like it was obvious.  
"Why are the light people coming to your house?" Emmett asked.  
"Well, if you must know. When you're deaf, you can have lights installed in every room in your house. For example, if the red light flashes it means that someone rang the doorbell. And if the blue light flashes that means that the phone is ringing. The light people are coming to install the lights," I explained.

"How can you call your mom when you're deaf?" Rosalie asked. I turned to Emmett with a heartbreaking expression on my face.  
"Emmy, how much do you love me?" I asked him. He turned around and saw my expression.

"I love you a lot squirt. What's up?"

"Well, when I call my mom, Can you sign what she is saying to me and then tell her what I sign back? Please?" He laughed and ruffled my hair.

"Sure squirt."

The ride to their house was silent. I was staring out the window, silently hoping that my mother wouldn't say anything embarrassing. Once we arrived, we meet Esme at the door. Alice explained something to her and she nodded.

"Hello Bella. We're so glad that you can spend the night. I heard that you have to call your mom and the phone is in the kitchen. Well, why you do that I have to go to the store to get some food for you." With a smile for us, she left. They lead me to the kitchen were the phone was and I picked it up, dialed my mom's number, and set it on the kitchen table on speakerphone.

I then turned to Emmett who signed "_Hello_," to me.

"Hey mom! It's Bella."  
"_Oh my gosh Bella! I've missed you so much! Phil has too! Oh baby please come home! We will move away from Phoenix. We can move anywhere you want. But please come home."_  
"I've missed you too. But mom, I don't want to move back. It's a clean break and nobody here judges me. And plus I've already made some new friends and I've settled in mom." Then there was a long pause.

"_Is this about a guy Isabella Marie Swan?" _I laughed.

"No mom it isn't about a guy."

"_Oh, honey. You'll never guess who called yesterday."_  
"Who mom?"  
_"Jordan sweetheart. He called to see how you were doing since everything happened because you haven't been at school. Isn't that sweet?"_ Another long paused.  
"Jordan can go fuck himself!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"_Language Isabella. I thought you liked him?"_  
"No, Olivia liked him. And I'm not Olivia mother. And if you would have paid even a little attention to me since you married Phil, you would have realized that. Goodbye Mother." I said right before I hung up on her.

I closed my eyes and a tear escaped. I wiped it away before anyone could see it. I sighed and opened my eyes. The Cullen's were looking at me with awe written all over their faces.

"What?" I asked them, feeling nervous.

"You just told off your own mom. Not many people have the courage to do that," Jasper said. I just shrugged.

"Who's Jordan?" Edward asked.

"He's a guy who's an asshole," I said even though I knew that they would want more information. They all rolled their eyes.

"Duh," Emmett said. "But what did he do?" I sighed.

"Jordan is the typical popular jock. He is an arrogant, self-centered player. One day, he asked Olivia out. Me and all her friends tried to get her to day no but she told him yes. Then we were trying to convince her to break up with him. But she kept insisting that he had changed and he acted like he had changed for awhile. Well, one day it was just me and him in our house because Olivia and my mom had went to get something to eat. He came up to my room and basically asked me to have sex with him while he was going out with my sister. I told him no and kicked him in his private area. When my mom and Olivia came back, he told them how I came on to him and asked him to sleep with me and that when he said no I kicked him in the private area. I got grounded for a month and he broke up with Olivia the next day while telling her the truth about what really happened. She came home that day and apologized for being a bitch. She told mom what really happened but my mom didn't believe her because she loved Jordan. Ever since then, I have fucking hated him. And then after Olivia died, my mom tried to get us together. I mean, ever since then she pretty much is trying to make me Olivia. And I'm not Olivia. No one can ever replace her. In a way, I hate my mom for even trying to replace her. I know that it's been hard on her but I don't think that she realizes how hard it's been on me." I said while wiping away tears.

We all sat there for a couple minutes, each lost in our thoughts. I broke the silence first.

"Do you guys won't to see a picture of her?" They all looked at me, shocked, but then nodded. I went to grab my bag from where Alice had put it earlier but I ended up tripping on the last step. Once I got down to the bottom of the stairs I called "I'm okay!" I then got back up and went back upstairs and got my sketch book and then went back downstairs. I flipped to the right page, sat down, and put it in the middle of the table. They were silent until Edward broke it.

"She looks a lot like you." I laughed. "I can't even count the number of times we got asked if we were twins. But even though we looked so much alike, we were so different. She was outgoing, loud, and nice to everyone unless you gave her a reason not to like you. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and oh my gosh she loved to shop. But I'm quite and shy and I keep my comments to myself unless you really piss me off. I have been told that I have serious self esteem issues," I said while looking at Alice.  
"It's true, she does!" She said.

"And I'd rather curl up on the coach with a warm blanket and a good book or hang out with friends than shop. Alice was suddenly in front of me and I flinched. "Sorry," she said, not looking sorry at all.  
"How can you not like shopping? Never mind, don't answer that. Get your shoes, we're going shopping," she ordered. I turned to everybody else, fear all over my face.

"Help me!" I mouthed.

Rosalie stood up and mouthed to me "I'll go with you to keep Alice in line. We better go now before Alice gets mad. Trust me, when she gets mad, she's scary." And then she shuddered.

I figured that I didn't want to know. So we put on our shoes and jackets and got into Alice's yellow Porsche and speed away.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own anything related to Twilight

* * *

"Go try these on," Alice commanded while handing me a big pile of jeans.

"But I'm tired and hungry," I complained.

"Well, try these on and then we'll go home so you can eat and go to sleep. Besides, the mall closes in ten minutes."

Aha, the real reason we are leaving. Me and Rosalie looked at each other, probably thinking the same thing. After I tried on everything and Alice had paid, we took our sixth trip out to the car. I mean come on, we've only been here for two hours and we've had to make six trips to the car. And Alice said that she was going easy on me. I didn't want to experience her not going easy!

"So, do you like Edward?" Alice asked. Wow, no need to be blunt.

"No," I lied. They gave each other a knowing look, then turned back to me and gave me a look that clearly said "Are you sue about that? Because we know you're lying". I sighed.

"Okay, maybe. I don't know! I don't know anything anymore!" I pretty much shouted. They exchanged worried glances.

Come on. Talk to us," Rosalie said.

"Well, let's see. I'm in the car with two vampires, the same creature that killed my aunt, who just spent like ten thousand dollars on me. Second, my fucking step-dad fucking killed my sister and hit me. My life is screwed up!" I shouted. Rosalie hugged me.

"Did you ever think that maybe all the bad stuff happened so that you could meet us and be happy?" I shook my head no.

"I guess I never thought about it like that," I said. She smiled.

"Let's go home so you can eat some food and sleep." The rest of the ride back to their place was silent. When we got there, I went straight into the kitchen and got an apple and some yogurt. All of the guys came into the kitchen.

Emmett smirked and asked "So how was shopping?" I swallowed then glared at him.

"Fuck you. Go to hell." I threw my trash away and met Alice in the living room.

"Third floor. Last door. I put all your stuff in there for you," She told me. I smiled.

"Thanks,"**  
**  
The couch was pushed to the north wall and the stereo shoved up against the vast shelves of CDs - to make room for the colossal bed that now dominated the central space. The southern wall of glass reflected the scene back like a mirror, making it look twice as bad. It matched. The coverlet was a dull gold, just lighter than the walls; the frame was black, made of intricately patterned wrought iron. Sculpted metal roses wound up the tall posts and formed a bowery lattice overhead. My pajamas were folded neatly on the foot of the bed, my bag of toiletries to one side. I took my bag and my new pajamas into the bathroom with me and got into the shower. The hot water unknotted the muscles in my back and made me relaxed. I wrapped myself in a towel and got dressed.

After I brushed my teeth and my hair, I stared at my reflection in the full length mirror that was behind the door. I felt sick at the sight of my scars and the fading bruises that Phil had given me. I decided to take a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt from whosever room this was. After I had put them on and adjusted them to where I wasn't tripping on them, I went downstairs to find Alice.

"Hey Alice, where am I sleeping tonight?" She turned to face me, but when she saw what I was wearing she frowned.

"What are you wearing?" she hissed.

"Your pajamas that you put were just a little bit revealing so I put these on over them. Sorry to whomever I took these from," I said.

"It's okay," Edward said.

"They were shorts and a tank top not lingerie Bella! They weren't revealing!" She snapped.

"Yes they were. Look, I'm tired. Can I just go t o bed?" I asked in a small voice. I didn't like fighting with Alice because she was my first true friend that I made here.

"You'll sleep in Edward's bed. It's the same room you were in earlier. You know the way," she said while continuing to glare at me.

I went back upstairs to Edward's bedroom. I kind of felt guilty for taking his bedroom but he didn't need to sleep so I didn't feel too bad. But before I got under the covers, I took off the sweatshirt and sweatpants because I was hot. I then fell into a restless sleep.

For the past couple of months, I have been having the same nightmare and have been waking up screaming. In my dream, I relive Phil killing Olivia and her wide, terrified eyes, silently begging with me to stop him. Then his threatening words float into my mind. Then I see the vampires killing my aunt.

But then, last night is was different. I saw my sister again. And she told me she approved of the Cullens. But then she said something that confused me. She said to be careful because something bad was going to happen. But then she smiled and told me to be happy and for once to put myself first and to not feel guilty.

Tonight I didn't see her, so I woke up screaming again. All of the Cullens were in my room surrounding the bed, looking worried. Edward climbed onto the bed and hugged me while calming me down with Jasper's help. When I had calmed down, I felt ashamed because that was the second time I had broke down in front of them and plus they could see all of my scars. I suddenly felt a wave of peace and looked over at Jasper.

"Thanks," I said in a tired voice. He smiled but then frowned. I was then attacked in a hug by Alice. She was talking so fast that I couldn't understand her.

I just stared at her and said "What?"

"I said I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't realize…" she trailed off. I hugged her.

"It's okay," I said. She danced over to Jasper and I turned to Emmett.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was tired and hungry and that's not an excuse but I'm sorry," I rambled. He hugged me and I could feel him laughing.

"It's okay squirt," he said. I smiled but then yawned hugely and they all laughed.

"Go to bed Bella. We'll see you in the morning," Carlisle said. Edward went to get off the bed, but I grabbed his hand.

He looked at me and I said "Please don't leave me." I swear I thought I saw his lips twitch, as if he was fighting a smile. "

I won't," He vowed.  
And so I slept, nightmare free, by Edward. And that is how I woke up too. I blushed and he assured me it was alright and then I got ready for the day. I then had chocolate chip waffles that Esme had made me for breakfast.

"Come on, Charlie will be mad at us if we brought you home later than noon," Alice said as she lead me to her car.

"But, my stuff. And what time is it?" I asked.

"I already gathered your stuff and put it in the car. And it's 11:30 am," She said.

And with her crazy driving, we got to my house in three minutes. Charlie was surprised to say the least but after he got over the shock, he went to go meet Billy so that they could go fishing. Me and everybody else had gathered up in my room, where I was going to tell them about my reoccurring nightmare and about my dream with Olivia in it when the blue light flashed. Alice and Edward exchanged an excited look.

"Who is it?" I asked them.

It's a surprise! Go see who it is!" Alice yelled in excitement.

So I went downstairs, with the Cullens behind me. I opened the door to three faces that I thought I would never see again.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own anything related to Twilight

* * *

I stood frozen for a moment in shock. Then I screamed and ran up to my three best friends from Pheonix and hugged them.

"Oh my gosh! I thought I would never see you guys again! How long are you guys staying? Where are you staying? How are you? How is everyone? Oh my gosh, come in!" I said in one breath. They laughed and hugged me back.

In front of me stood Jake, Ryan, and Ali. Jake was about 6'4 and very muscular and tan. Ryan was very tan and he had blonde hair and blue eyes. Every girls dream guy. Ali is petite and outgoing. She has blonde hair and very athletic. Ali led me inside.

"Boys, get the suitcases. We'll answer your questions inside, Bells," she said. Once their bags were upstairs in my room and we were all sitting comfortably in the living room, they started answering my questions.

"I'm hurt, Bells. You really thought that you would never see us again?" Ryan said, while faking hurt.

"Shut up Ryan. You knew what I meant. I never thought your parents would say yes, especially your mom Ali," I said.

I knew instantly that I had said the wrong thing. Ryan, Ali, and Jake's eyes all filled with tears. Ali got up and walked out of the room and Ryan glared at me as he followed her to go comfort her. Everybody who had hung around our group for a day knew that they liked each other but Ali wasn't allowed to date which is why they weren't dating. I turned to Jake. Jake had been Olivia's boyfriend before she died.

"What did I say?" I asked him.

"Bella, come sit down before I tell you," He said. I didn't realize that I had stood up, so I quickly sat back down.

"Me, Ryan, and Jake had gone to put flowers on Olivia's grave and then we went to our favorite pizza place. You know the one on Thompson and Emerson." I nodded. "Well, we all said our goodbyes and went to our separate houses. I hadn't been home for more than five minutes when I got a phone call from Ali. Bells, her mom was murdered," he said while tears were streaming down his face. Maria was dead. That was only ting going through my head. I put my face in my hands and cried. Once I was done, Ali and Ryan were back in living room. I got up and wrapped Ali in a hug. We stayed like that for a long time.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her as I let go of her.

"You and Olivia have been really distant for two years now. You and her were really close when she died. After that, you wouldn't talk to us and you would flinch whenever someone made a small movement. And then your aunt died and you were there. And I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that I don't think we have ever seen anyone in so much pain as you. And then you left, without a goodbye to us. We were hurt, but we understood why you left. Then my mom died. We all agreed not to tell you because we were afraid to lose you again. We had heard how good you were doing here and we didn't want to ruin that. I'm sorry," She said, with tears in her eyes.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I pushed you guys away. It was just the easiest thing to do. And I'm sorry that I left without saying goodbye. And I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't tell me. You know you can tell me anything, right?" She nodded.

And it's okay. But I wish you would have told me earlier. She was my second mom after all and I would have liked to go to the funeral to say goodbye." I turned to Jake next.

"And I'm sorry for not being there for you after she died. I know how much you loved her," I said. He laughed.

"It's probably a good thing you weren't there very much after that day. Not that I didn't miss you and worry about you," he added when he saw my hurt expression. "It's just that I didn't want to accept the fact that she gone and wasn't ever coming back. If I would have seen you in the beginning, then I would have thought that you were Olivia and I would have run up to you, hugged you and kissed you and begged you never to go away again." I wrinkled my nose at the thought of kissing Jake.

"Ewe, that's gross Jake. You're like my brother," I said.

"Um, Bella, you might want to turn around." I spun around and saw Ryan looking at me nervously.

"What's up Ryan?" I asked. He sighed.

"Look I'm sorry about earlier. It's just; you know how I get when someone upsets Ali."

"I know. It's okay Ry." He looked relieved and sat back down and I went and sat back down on the coach by Ali. I looked at her and then at Ryan.

"What?" Ali asked me when she noticed me looking at them.

"Okay, I'm like dying to know. Now that you can date, will you guys date?"

"No," Ali said instantly. "We've already talked about it. I'm going to respect my mom's wishes and not date until I turn eighteen." I smiled at her.

"Maria would be proud." I suddenly remembered that the Cullens were there.

I got up and said "oh my gosh, I'm so sorry you guys. These are my friends from Phoenix. This is Ryan, Ali, and Jake," I said as I pointed to each one. "And these are the Cullens and Hales. This is Edward Cullen, his adopted sister Alice Cullen and her boyfriend Jasper Hale, his twin Rosalie Hale and her boyfriend and adopted brother to Edward and Alice, Emmett Cullen," I said as I pointed to each person out.

So let me get this straight. You three," Ryan said while pointing to Alice, Edward, and Emmett. "Are brothers and sister. And you two," he said while pointing to Jasper and Rosalie. "are brother and sister. Alice and Jasper are dating and so are Emmett and Rosalie. Am I right?"

"Yes," Edward said.

"That's not weird at all," Ryan said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the Cullens.

"I'm sorry. That's what, like the fifth time I have broken down in front of you guys?"

"Yeah, the fourth or fifth time," Emmett said like it was no big deal.

"Look Bella, we have to leave but we'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. I love you guys. Bye." They walked out and got in their car before Jake walked back in.

"Bella, just making sure you haven't done it. Roll your sleeves up please," Jake commanded. I rolled my eyes but obeyed.

"Good Bells. We don't want to lose you over you cutting yourself, Okay?"

"Yeah, I got it Jake. Goodbye." He turned to the Cullens.

"Will you keep an eye on her to make sure that she doesn't cut herself?" he asked them.

"We will," Alice promised. He smiled, kissed my check, got back into the car, and left.

"Bella, we got a call from Esme, we have to got but we'll see you on Monday, okay?"

"Okay, bye guys."

And so, I was left alone in this big house with only my thoughts.

* * *

I actually cried when I wrote this because I just had a similiar converstation with my foster parents about pushing people away when something bad happens. But anyway, please review! And please add you suggestions because I will try and put them in if i like them!


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own anything related to Twilight. But I think you guys should know that by now. :)

* * *

I hung out with Jake, Ryan, and Ali all Sunday while Charlie was fishing. We got caught up on how each other was doing and retold old, funny stories from happier times. Gosh, those times seem like forever ago. There were so many times that I almost told them everything but then I would always change my mind at the last minute. I think that I must have mad Alice very mad judging by the look on her face and the way she's stalking toward me right now.

"What the fuck? What was wrong with you yesterday? You gave me a headache! And that's not even physically possible!" I could almost hear her shouting and see the steam coming off of her. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you feel better?" I asked once she had calmed down.

"Much. But seriously, what was wrong yesterday?" she asked. I dropped my eyes from hers so she couldn't see the tears.

"They deserve to know the truth. But I can't bring myself to tell them." She put her hand under my chin and made me look at her.

"Why?" she asked.  
"

I don't want to see them angry," I replied.

"Why would they be angry?" she asked, confused.

"They would be angry that I didn't tell them. Then they would be angry at me for lying to them. Then there's Phil," I explained.

Her eyes tightened and for a moment, she actually looked like a vampire. I looked up when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"We would never let him hurt you," Emmett said while everybody nodded their heads in agreement. I smiled a small smile.

"Thanks," I said sincerely. Edward shook off my thanks off.

"No thanks needed. We would do that for any member of his family," he said.

I felt nothing but shock and happiness when he said that I was part of their family. It was the first family that I have actually felt safe and loved. And I'm terrified about that. I'm putting all my trust in their hands, something I don't do very often, and they could break me with one word.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Edward asked, obviously seeing something on my face or in my eyes. "Nothing," I mumbled.

"Won't you tell me?" he asked, tilting his head to one side with a shockingly tempting smile. I shook my head.

"Please?" he breathed, leaning toward me. I blinked, my mind going blank. Holy crow, how did he do that?

"Er, What?" I asked, dazed.

"Please tell me what's wrong." His eyes still smoldered me. I looked down while I admitted my fear.

"This is all new to me. Trusting and loving people. And you guys can easily break me with one word. I'm petrified," I said. There was a long pause.

"The bell just rang. Edward wants to know if you want to skip class with him," Emmett signed.

If I skip class and get caught, then they would call Charlie. But I don't know how Charlie gets when he's mad. Should I risk it? It's better to be safe than sorry. I looked up at Edward and discovered that it was just the two of us.

"Where did everyone else go?" I asked.

"To class. Now, are you skipping with me or not?" he asked and he kind of looked like he was frustrated.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I just ….can't." He smiled.

"It's okay. We'll talk at me. Oh, and by the way, Carlisle called and told the school that you were with him this morning so you won't be counted tardy," he said. I smiled. They thought of everything.

"Tell him I said thank you and that I owe him. And what do you want to talk to me about?" I asked, bewildered.

"You'll see," he said mysteriously and then walked back to his car. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, I really don't like him when he does stuff like that.

My morning classes passed in a blur. I was to busy thinking about wha_t they _could possibly want to talk to _me _about. My friends? Phil? Olivia? Aunt Marie?

But my questions were answered several hours later, at lunch. I was sitting in between Edward and Emmett and Alice was sitting across from me. They all had this serious look on their faces and I felt an emotion that I knew very well. I felt scared.

"Okay, what did you guys want to talk to me about?" I asked while playing with the zipper on my jacket.

"Bella, do you cut yourself?" Emmett asked with this somber look on his face, like he had just asked for a murder confession.

My mind went blank with surprise. Why would they want to know that? Then I remembered what Jake said the last time I saw the Cullens. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, I need to talk to that idiot. Jasper, feeling my anger rise, frowned.

"Don't try to say that it isn't any of our business because it is. You're our family and we don't let family do that to themselves." I rolled my eyes.

"First of all, my anger is not toward you guys. Second of all, you guys can't cut yourself." They all rolled their eyes.

"Then who was your anger directed at?" Jasper asked.

"Jake. But I guess I can't be super pissed at him because he doesn't know everything," I reasoned with myself.

"So, you're not emo?" Emmett asked. You could tell that he was confused.

"No Emmett, I'm not. And I have never cut myself either. The scars that Jake saw where from Phil," I explained.

"Whew," Emmett said while pretending to wipe sweat from his forehead. I laughed, and I mean had a full blown laughing attack. They all looked at me with shocked faces.

"What?" I asked defensively. Alice's shoulders shook, she was laughing.

"Nothing. It's just that we have never heard you laugh like that before. You sound so carefree and happy when you laugh. You should do it more often. You know what, that's going to be goal," Alice stated confidently. I rolled my eyes.

"Good luck with that guys," I said. They would need it.

More than I ever imagined.

"So tell us how you met Jake, Ryan, and Ali," Rosalie commanded. I smiled.

"Olivia actually met Jake and introduced us. We've been friends since I was six. And oh my gosh, they used to annoy the heck out of me. Olivia would always blush when she saw him and they would always be in their own little world. I would never admit this to her, but I always was a little bit jealous of what she had. But anyway, that's when I met Ali. We were in the same third grade class and were friends instantly. Then two years later, me and Ali met Ryan. Once again, I was the fifth wheel. We've always been good friends though. Jake and Ryan are like the brothers I never had and Ali is another sister," I said.

"So, what about guys?" Rosalie asked and I choked on the French fry I was eating.

I blushed and said "I didn't date anyone. I was the freak. The only people that talked to me were Ali, Jake, Ryan, and Olivia."

It was quiet for a couple minutes before Alice talked.

"Bella," she said while having this heartbreaking expression on his face.

"What Alice?" I asked.

"Will you come over please this afternoon?" I rolled my eyes. She was so overdramatic.

"Of course I will Alice," I promised.

Me and Alice walked together to dump our trays.

"Why do you want me to come over?" I asked.

"I can't have my best friend come over to hang out?" she asked, with the same heartbreaking expression on her face that she did earlier.

"You know that's not what I meant. Why?" I asked again.

She just smiled and said "Someone is going to ask you something tonight that will change your life,"

* * *

okay, you can hate me now. I know I haven't updated in awhile. I've just been busy. But it's summer, so hopefully I can update more. Okay, now you can yell at me now.


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own Twilight. I'm just borrowing.

Thanks to my beta, Rini.

* * *

As we pulled up into the Cullen's driveway, I saw Charlie's cruiser and Carlisle's Mercedes. What was going on? It was a routine now that the Cullens would take me to their house after school so we could do homework together and then they would drive me home in enough time that I could make Charlie's dinner. So what was my dad doing here? I gave my friends a confused look but they nodded in encouragement. So, I walked slowly up their stairs and opened the door. Carlisle and Charlie were sitting in the living room, waiting for me. They motioned for me to sit down on the couch.

"So Bella," Carlisle began. "How long have you been deaf?" I stared at him for a minute in shock. Why would he want to know that? But I had to answer, he was waiting.

"My whole life," I said. He nodded.

"And you were born deaf?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, though it sounded more like a question.

"Did you and your parents ever look into hearing aids or surgical procedures that would possibly help you hear?" he asked.

"Yes but they cost too much so we would never have them done," I answered, wondering where he was going with this.

He smiled. "Well, Bella, your dad and I have been talking about a procedure that would possibly help you hear. You're a perfect candidate. It's called a Cochlear Implant." I smiled but then sighed. I had been through this way too many times to get my hopes up.

"How does it work?" I asked him out of curiosity.

"If you get the surgery, sound will enter a microphone and then go to a sound processor. Sound is then processed and converted into digital information. The digital information is sent over a transmitter antenna to the surgically implanted part of the system. The implant will turn the sound information into electrical signals that travel down to an electrode array that will be inserted into the inner ear, or cochlea. Electrodes directly stimulate the auditory nerve which sends the sound information to the brain," Carlisle explained. Nobody said anything for awhile.

"Yeah, all of that went in one ear and out the other ear," I told him. Emmett snorted, making all of us jump. "I meant it metaphorically!" I protested, but then laughed when I saw the look on Emmett's face. The others laughed along with us too, finally getting the joke.

"What would happen during the surgery?" I asked when we all had calmed down.

"The surgery would take two hours. A small portion of your hair would be shaved so the incision can be made. The surgeon will drill through the mastoid bone to the inner ear. The electrode array is then inserted into the cochlea and the receiver is secured to the skull. The incision is closed with stitches, which will dissolve in their own," He explained.

"And would you be doing the surgery?" I asked nervously.

"Yes," he answered, calming my nerves immediately.

"What about after the surgery?" I asked nervously. I felt apprehensive about after as I didn't want a long recovery. I didn't like to be taken care of. He looked thoughtful.

"Well, of course, every case is different but normally you can go home the day of the surgery. And we usually turn the implant on in about two to four weeks. You can return to school a week after the surgery."

"What would I expect after the implant is turned on?" I asked.

"I don't really know. When you get it turned on, they'll adjust the volume for you. After that, it's really just adjusting to hearing and matching sounds with names. But I don't know because I've never had this done before. But it will be hard work," he told me.

Now it was time for the big question.

"How much does it cost?" I asked softly.

"$4, 000, all costs combined." He said while looking at me. I grimaced.

"But before you say no, Charlie and I worked out a deal. Charlie's insurance will pay for half of it while we will pay $1,000. Charlie and Renee will each pay $1,500 each," he said.

Tears filled my eyes at their generosity. I couldn't accept it, even though I really wanted to. Jasper smiled, he felt my longing.

I shook my head. "Carlisle, there is no way I can accept this. I would never be able to pay you back," I said. He smiled and put his arm around me.

"Bella, you have no idea how much you have changed this family. This is the least we can do for you. Now please accept this as a gift from us for bringing us so much happiness," he said. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Thank you so much. There are no words to describe how I feel right now and how thankful I am," I told them. I turned and walked up to Charlie.

"Thank you so much, daddy. I love you," I signed to him and then hugged him.

"Love you too, little girl. Now, I have to get back to work. I'll see you when I get home," he said gruffly. And with that, he was gone. I started crying. I couldn't help it. I was just so blessed.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked. I smiled because he actually thought that something could be wrong with me right now.

"I'll be able to hear, Edward!" I cried. He smiled my crooked smile.

"I'll be able to hear birds singing, the ocean, music, you guys, my family, and you playing piano!" I said excitedly. Yesterday, he played his piano for me for the first time. Even though I couldn't hear it, I could feel the vibrations and it sounded beautiful.

"Edward, I love you," I said without thinking about it. Then I realized what I had blurted out and looked down, my face flaming, before I could see his shocked face melt into one of disgust. It was silent forever, or at least it felt like it. Finally, Edward made me look up at him.

"How can you love a monster like me, knowing what I have done?" He asked. I frowned and shook my head.

"Monsters do bad stuff to other people for their own pleasure. Sure, you've killed people," we both flinched as I said that. "But you did it to survive. Monsters are people like Phil," I added when I saw his skeptical expression. He shook his head slowly, a frown on his face.

"What?" I asked him, feeling self conscious.

"You're too nice for your own good," he said. I laughed.

"Olivia told me that, too," I told him.

"Well, it's true," he said. "But why did she tell you that?" I laughed harder.

"Tanya, the leader of the popular girls, heard something about me and it pissed her off. She said she wanted to rip my "fake extensions" out of my "ugly head'," I quoted.

"I convinced her that it wasn't worth her time or worth getting suspended for. Looking back now, I kind of wish she had though," I said thoughtfully. "But that's not what we're talking about right now," I scolded him. "I just told you that I love you and you haven't said anything back. I mean, if you don't love me back then just say something so that – "

"Bella, are you going to listen to me?" he asked and I nodded.

"From the first day I met you, you've amazed me. You never do what I think you will. That's a good thing," he added when he saw my worried expression. "You're beautiful, even though you don't realize it. And you're strong. After all that you have been through, you still see the good in the world. Isabella Marie Swan, I love you," he said.

And then his cold, marble lips pressed very softly against mine. Our lips moved together until I felt the need to breathe. When I came up, we smiled at each other.

"I love you," we both said at the same time and then laughed.

* * *

Okay, I'm sure you all hate me for not updating. I'm sorry! I have been away in South Carolina for a vaction. It was my counsler's idea. *rolls eyes* It was hard work, but I think I finally overcame my fear of vacations. Plus, I got the okay a month ago that I can do sports again, so I have been busy with all my practices. Sorry! But I hope this makes up for it. :)


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own Twilight, just borrowing. :)

* * *

I woke up to my bed vibrating. I groaned and rolled back over, hoping for more sleep. Then I felt poking on my side. I sighed and opened my eyes.

"Bella, you need to get up. You're having your surgery today," Edward signed. Since we got together, I had been teaching him ASL. He was a really fast learner. I glared at him.

"Don't remind me," I signed back.

"It's only four in the morning, Edward!" I signed furiously to him after I looked at the clock. He hugged me.

"You'll be okay, Bella. And I figured that you would want to take a shower before you wake Charlie up and come over to our house," he signed. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Why would I want to come to your house?" I asked him. For the first time since I've known him, he looked nervous.

"Well, um, I just thought, um," he stammered.

"You just thought what?" I asked, pretending to be mad.

"Well, I just thought that maybe you would like to come over to my house so that you don't have to watch Charlie eat. Plus we would take you to the hospital. We would meet Charlie there," he added when he saw my expression.

Last week, we told Charlie about us. I wouldn't say that he was angry, it's just he thought we were moving too fast. I sighed and got up from my bed and gathered my stuff. How could I be mad at him when he thinks like that?

"Okay, okay. I'll meet you at your house," I signed as my stomach growled. He smiled.

"I love you," he signed. I smiled and said it back. I kissed him and then left the room.

I meant to hurry in the shower, I really did. But the hot water relaxed me and every time I thought about what I was going to do today, I tensed up and had to relax all over again. By the time I got done in the shower, it was five o' clock. After I got dressed in my favorite Abercrombie sweats (courtesy of Alice), Edward's white shirt, and a sweatshirt, I went to wake up Charlie.

"Dad," I said while shaking him. He mumbled something and turned over. I shook him some more, but after that didn't work, I shouted "Daddy!"

He sat up at once and asked "What's wrong?" I rolled my eyes.

"You wouldn't wake up. But anyway, I'm going over to the Cullens' house so I don't have to watch you eat, okay? I'll meet you at the hospital," I told him. He nodded sleepily, while lying back down.

I rolled my eyes and left his room. I gathered my stuff and then headed to the Cullens'. Edward was waiting for me when I arrived. He smiled and came over to help me out.

"Hello, love," he said. My heart, of course, starting beating faster.

"Hello," I signed to him, making him frown. He knew I only signed when I didn't feel good or when I was nervous. He came over and hugged me.

"It will be okay, Bella," he signed. I smiled and hugged him back.

"I know. It's just that I hate hospitals and needles," I told him. He rolled his eyes.

"Of all the things you should be scared of," he said to himself. I rolled my eyes, grabbed his hand, and walked into their house. I was welcomed with Alice's gleeful face.

"Good morning, Bella. Are you excited? When is your mother coming?" she asked in one breath before she hugged me.

"Geez, Alice, give the girl some breathing room," Emmett said while walking into the living room with Rose.

"Thanks," I signed to him before I answered Alice.

"Good morning, Alice. I'm more nervous than excited. My mother will be coming tomorrow. Apparently, Phil's baseball game is more important than a surgery that could possibly make her daughter hear for the first time in her life," I said bitterly.

They all looked at each other, silently communicating. Any other time I would have been mad about this, but right now I couldn't quite bring myself to care. I suddenly felt a wave of calm hit me and I gave Jasper a look. He knew I didn't like it when he did that. He smiled sheepishly at me.

"Bella," Alice said suddenly. "It's time to go."

I took a deep breath and nodded. I grabbed my bag and headed toward Edward's Volvo and waited for him. Once we got in, we left with the rest of them following us. Edward seemed to know that I didn't want to talk so we didn't. Once we got to the hospital, Carlisle took me to my room so that I could get ready. He told me that I could keep my sweats on; I just had to put the hospital gown on. After that, he put the IV in me and told the others that they could come back in.

They all pulled up chairs so that they could sit right beside me. I could tell that they weren't breathing and I immediately felt guilty.

"What's wrong, Bells?" Emmett signed.

"It's just that," I began to sign but stopped when the IV pulled. I glared at it then sighed.

"It's just that you guys are hurting yourselves by being here," I said.

"That's not all of it," Emmett signed and I sighed. They knew me too well.

"I'm scared. What if doesn't work?" I asked with tears in my eyes. But they didn't get a chance to answer before Carlisle came in.

"Hello, Bella. Are you ready?"

I shook my head and asked "Where's Charlie?" He frowned.

"I don't know Bella. But you can talk to him when you wake up, okay?" he asked. I nodded.

He came over and wheeled me out of the room and into the OR. He then proceeded to put a tube up my nose and as the medicine began to take its effect, I fell fast asleep.

* * *

Ugh, my head hurts. What happened? _Beep Beep Beep Beep. _ I'm in the hospital. The last thing I remember is… oh yeah, the surgery.

I opened my eyes and closed them again almost instantly. The lights were too bright. When I opened them again, the lights were dimmed.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"You're welcome sweetie," a pair of familiar hands signed to me.

"Daddy?" I asked.

"Yes sweetie, it's me. I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier. After you woke up, I fell back asleep," he explained while smiling a little.

"It's okay dad. What time is it? Where is everyone? When can I go home?" I asked.

"One question at a time, dear. It's 10:30 AM. The Cullens are in the waiting room. You're still in the recovery room. After Carlisle checks you out, they're moving you to a regular room. When they release you, you're going back to the Cullen's house." He saw my confused look and sighed.

"I decided that you can stay at the Cullen's house until you go back to school. That way Carlisle can keep an eye on you because he told me that they did both ears when they were only supposed to do one. And that way you're never alone during the day," he said. I smiled.

"Thanks daddy," I said as Carlisle walked in.

"Morning Bella. How are you feeling?" he asked while reading my chart and examining the machines.

"Hello, Carlisle. My head hurts," I told him honestly. I figured that if I lied, then I'd be in here longer. He smiled.

"Well, you look fine so I'm going to discharge you. I have some pain medicine that I can give you at our house," he said. I stared at him.

"Wait, so I don't have to go back to a regular room?" I asked him in confusion. He laughed.

"So you can sit around and talk? You can do that at my house. Plus, I think that you'll be much more comfortable at our house. Now I'll send Rosalie in here to help you get dressed and Emmett to push to push your wheelchair while I get the papers." I was confused. Rosalie and Emmett? Why not Alice and Edward?

I didn't even feel when he pulled the IV out because I was thinking so hard. When I heard a knock on my door, I called out.

"Come in." Rose and Emmett walked in.

"How are you, squirt?" Emmett asked.

"My head hurts," I answered. Rose smiled softly.

"I bet it does. Now come on, let's get you dressed."

She helped me to the bathroom and then helped me put on my shirt and sweatshirt so I wouldn't hit my stitches. Then Emmett pushed me in the wheelchair out to Charlie's cruiser. Apparently, he had always wanted to do that.

"Where are Alice and Edward?" I asked when we were on the road.

"They're getting stuff from our house," Charlie answered absent mindly.

After that, we didn't talk, just got lost in our thoughts. But all I could think about on the way to the Cullens' house was that I hoped this surgery worked.

* * *

Okay, this chapter has been written for a while. It's just that I have had very little spare time lately. I saw my Grandma and Aunt last weekend and I haven't seen them since my parents funeral almost a year and a half ago. And this week, I've had VBS sooo... I've been busy. Please review! Thanks for being so understanding! :)


	11. Author's Note

Hey. I'm sorry! My foster mom grounded me from the computer for a month for "back talking her" So I won't be updating for awhile. I'm sorry!


	12. Chapter 11

I don't own Twilight :( Thanks to my awesome beta, Rini, for being soo supportive!

* * *

"So how has your first day back been?" Edward asked at lunch. I thought about how to answer it.

"It's been weird. People look at my ear and my scar. People think that I can atomically hear so they talk really fast. It's just been weird," I answered slowly. Edward frowned and started to say something but Alice jumped in before he could do anything.

"So Bella, when are you going to get the implant turned on?" she asked curiously. I smiled.

"Next Monday. I'm excited. And my mom's flying in for the first couple of days to help me adjust," I told them and their smiles disappeared.

When they first met my mom it was... Awkward, to say the least. I wouldn't say that the Cullen's hated my mom. It's just that she pisses them off by the little comments she makes about Phil or how I could be more like Olivia. And you can always tell when my mom thinks something bad about because Edward always gets all tense and protective. It's sweet but it's sad at the same time because it's my mom he's trying to protect me from. But I'm Really excited that my mom is coming back, even if it's just for a couple days. Nobody knows this but my mom promised me that she would bring me some of Olivia's stuff, like videos of her playing guitar, CDs of songs that she wrote and recorded by herself, and old pictures. I didn't tell Edward or anybody else because I wanted to go through it alone, or with Charlie. And that's only because we know what each other's going through, to an extent. But I don't know how to explain it right. I blinked and came out of the daze I was in, only to fond out that the Cullen's were staring at me.

"What?" I asked them, feeling awkward self conscious.

"You stared Out in space for the past ten minutes," Rosalie said like it was obvious, which it probably was.

"That's the longest I've ever spaced out in public. Why didn't you guys try to snap me out of it?"

"We tried," Rose answered and I could almost hear the annoyed edge in her voice. I mentally rolled my eyes and turned to Edward.

"Will you come with me when I get them turned on?" I asked him, using the puppy dog look that Alice uses when she wants something. He sighed and kissed my forehead.

"You've been hanging put with Alice to much," he said but I could see him fighting a smile.

"Hey," Alice protested. "There is nothing wrong with hanging out with me!" Emmett chuckled.

"Sure there isn't Shortie."

I looked at Alice, knowing that she doesn't like to be picked on because of her height. She glared at him and threw her uneaten apple at him, which he caught with no trouble. He was going to start a food fight but I stepped in.

"Hey there is no need to waste a perfectly good apple, Emmett!" I said angrily. He turned to look at me, smiling suspiciously.

"And what would happen if I didn't give it to you?" he asked.

"I'll get Edward to get it," I shot back atomically. He frowned at me.

"You're not fun sis," he told me. I smiled because whether he realized it or not, he just called me his sister.

"I love ya too, Emmett," I said while reaching to get the apple. Unfortunately for me, my shirt rode up, which revealed a scar on my stomach.

Edward quickly pulled me into his lap and asked "what happened?" while pointing to my scar. He, along with the others, had a look of horror on their face. I quickly pulled down my shirt.

"Nothing," I said while looking at the apple.  
"Isabella," Edward growled and I flinched. His face softened and he said "please tell us," while dazzling me. I shook my head, trying to clear it and then took a deep breathe.

"It was the day before Olivia died," I said. Then I closed me eyes.

_(Me and Olivia were sitting on our couch in the living room because we thought that we were alone. If mom or Phil were home, then we would hide out in my room. But anyway, we were just sitting there. I was reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Olivia was listening to her iPod. All of a sudden, someone put their hand on my shoulder and it scared me. I jumped and looked up to see Phil's gross looking yellow teeth smiling back down at me. "What's got you so scared, sweetie?" he asked while squeezing my shoulder tight. I could smell the beer on his breath and the smoke on his clothes.  
_

_"Y-O-U," I spelled out in sign language, knowing that he wouldn't know what I had spelled out. He narrowed his eyes at me.  
_

_"So you want to play dirty?" he asked, and then without waiting for my answer, pulled me by my hair toward the kitchen.  
_

_"Lay down," he commanded. It took awhile before I finally stopped shaking enough so that I could.  
_

_"We'll see who plays dirtier," he said. He then proceeded to go and get a knife put of the little wooden box where we kept them. He then came back over and sat on my legs. The next thing I knew, the knife was in my stomach. The only thing I remember afterwards was the pain and the blood.)_

_ "_Olivia told me later that I ended passing out, whether from blood loss or the pain, I'm not sure. Once I passed out, Phil got off of me and left, probably to go drink some more," I said bitterly, my fists closing in anger. I closed my eyes and sighed, trying to calm down. But thankfully, Jasper helped me out with that.

"Thanks Jasper. Anyway, Olivia came over and pulled the knife out and stopped the bleeding the best she could. Then she changed me out of my clothes and and cleaned up the kitchen. Thankfully, I woke up before my mom got home." I opened my eyes. They all looked horrified and pissed. Edward wiped my tears that I hadn't eve noticed had fallen and kissed my forehead.

"He will never touch you again," he promised. I nodded my head. I knew that they wouldn't let anything hurt me.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked, obviously seeing the anguish in my eyes. I closed my eyes, letting a few tears to escape.

"I just wish that I could have saved her. Both of them. What if we would have told somebody? Would Olivia still be alive? I should have tried harder to stop him," I chocked out. Edward pulled me into a hug, rubbing my back smoothly. Once I calmed down, he pulled back and looked me directly in the eye.

"There is nothing that you could have done that would have saved her, okay Bella? I know that it sounds harsh, but Olivia wouldn't want you to be unhappy. She would want you to live your life to the fullest. There is nothing that you can do now that will change the past. Trust us, we would know," he finished sadly.

"Hey," I said while looking at all of them. "None of you guys are monsters. You guys are doing amazing with what you have been given in life. Choosing what you guys do takes courage and strength. Espically you Jasper. You feel your own hunger along with everyone else's. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for." They all looked at me, amazed.

"What? I can be smart when I want to," I defended myself. They all laughed a little while Japer came over and gave me a hug. I was surprised at first but then hugged him back.

"Thank you," he signed.

"No thanks needed," I told him smiling.

"You know, we'll never let him touch you again," he said while the rest of them nodded their heads in agreement. "

I know," I said. But somewhere deep inside of me, I knew it wasn't true.

* * *

Okay, it seems like I say this every time I update. IM SORRY! After I got grounded, school started and then my grandpa died. Everytime I went to write, I just couldn't. It's just been a REALLY bad month. I'm going to try to update more, but it seems like my teachers are all like "Let's give them as much homework as possible!" I really should be doing my biology homework and study for my vocab quiz right now. But im sorry again!

Katie.

PS: Please Review! :)


	13. Chapter 12

I don't own Twlight, that would be the wonderful SM.

Thanks to my awesome beta, Rini! :)

* * *

My mom was late, again. Why couldn't she ever be on time? She said she missed the flight because she and Phil were "doing dishes".Yeah right. She missed her flight, she missed my appointment, and missed me hearing for the very first time in my life. Whatever, I'm not the one who's missing out.

All of a sudden, the door slammed open. I jumped from the sudden loud noise. My mom came in looking pissed off. I jumped off the couch and went over to hug her.

"What's wrong, mom?" I asked, and then flinched at the sound of my voice. It sounded weird, wrong and loud. Mom saw me flinch and then smiled sadly.

"I really am sorry that I missed your appointment, sweetie. I know you're probably unbearably mad at me right now and I would be too. I'm sorry! And the reason why I'm mad, well, you don't need to worry about it, hon."

"Mom," I said in a warning tone, not wanting her to hide things from me.

She just smiled and said, "That's the Bella I know. I was beginning to wonder where she had gone. Now come on, Olivia's stuff is in the car. Help me bring it in, would you?"

I rolled my eyes but grabbed my brand new Vanity jacket (courtesy of Alice) and put on my spanking new boots (also courtesy of Alice) and went outside to help her. My mom ended up bringing in ten boxes, which were extremely mom and I joked about calling the Cullen boys to come and help us, but the stubborn part of us decided not we finished, we just sat there and talked about Olivia, guys, and how I was doing. When it was time for her to leave, she suddenly turned around with tears in her eyes, threatening to overflow.

"Bella, you know I love you, right?" she said, her voice trembling.

"Yeah mom, I know. I love you too," I told her while hugging her.

"And you know that no matter what I chose to do, that you and Olivia always came first? And that you can always talk to me about anything, right?" she asked, looking straight into my eyes.

I looked away, feeling guilty about lying to her but nodding anyway. When I looked back up at her, she looked heartbroken, but didn't say anything.

"Okay then sweetie. Call me or Phil if you need anything," she replied while walking out toward her rented car.

"Wait," I shouted after her. "Phil's _here_? He came here with you?" I asked her, shell shocked.

"Of course he came, he loves you sweetheart," she said, but I could see the small seed of doubt in her eyes.

What happened to my mother? She was acting all weird today. Not her usual fun, weirdness either….It was almost like she knew about what actually happened. Or she suspected something and was trying to confirm how would she know? Unless... No, Phil wouldn't do that, _couldn't _do that to her, could he? He loved Renee…but then again, I thought he had loved me at one point. I shook my head, not wanting to believe that Phil could be evil enough to torture my mom like that.

"Oh, I just thought he had a game that he couldn't miss," I replied to my mom, getting back from my thoughts.

"It's next week, honey," she said. "But I hope you guys can see each other before we leave, he misses you, you know."

I fought the urge to snort in disbelief, and instead changed the subject.

"I miss you mom," I told her honestly, my eyes filling with tears.

"I missed you too baby. Now go inside before you get sick. Oh and Bells," she called over her shoulder. "Go though Olivia's stuff. I know that you've been dying to all afternoon," she said while smiling at me. I grinned back at her.

"You know me so well. But I really did enjoy spending time with you this afternoon," I told her.

She laughed. "Go Bella. I'll see you later."

I went up to my bedroom, put on some dry sweats, and turned my computer ten long minutes, my computer finally loaded and I put the first CD in. After a couple of seconds, the sound of a guitar filled the air. Then Olivia started to sing.

_"Somebody cries in the middle of the night. The neighbors hear but they turn out the light, a fragile soul caught in the hands of fate, when morning comes it will be too late" (Concrete Angel By Martina McBride)_

I hit pause. Olivia's singing was soft but powerful at the same time and I could hear the raw emotion in her voice. It almost sounded like she was close to crying when she recorded this. That brought tears to my eyes because Olivia was one of those people who never showed their emotions in front of other people. So the thought of her crying, it made me want to cry.

But that's not why I stopped the music. I stopped it because it brought back memories of Phil hitting Olivia. The feeling of helplessness came crashing over me but I shook it off and put in the next CD.

"_It hit me out of nowhere like a car crash on the street, suddenly colliding into me, now I'm broken, bruised, and beat up, tangled in my sheets, how can this feel so bad when you seemed so good for me?" (Hangover by Hey Monday)_

I sighed, thinking about Jordan. I wasn't as angry as I was before but I was still pretty pissed off at him. Because of him, I almost lost my relationship with my mother and my sister. I closed my eyes and sighed. I put in a new CD labeled Bubbly and went through the rest of the boxes. There really wasn't anything different in the boxes, just CDs and pictures of Olivia. But when I went through the last box, I found Olivia's diary. I've never read her diary before but I decided to read it now. The last entry was the day before she died.

_"Dear diary," It started._

_"Today was really bad. Bella and I weren't doing anything special. I was listening to my iPod, thinking about tomorrow and Bella was reading that one book series that she's always reading when Phil came home. He slammed the door and broke mom's favorite vase. You know the one that Aunt Marie gave her for Christmas. But anyway, he ended up scaring Bella and God bless her sweet heart; she tried to stand up to him. But it only ended up getting her hurt much worse. Phil dragged her by her hair into the kitchen and ended up stabbing her in the stomach with the biggest knife he could find. Then he left, probably to go drink some more._

_Bella lost so much blood. I thought she was going to die, but she didn't, thank goodness. But we're going to have to tell someone about Phil and get away soon because if we don't then one of us is going to end up getting killed._

_On a happier note, I decided that I'm going to tell Jake tomorrow that I love him. I'm going to talk to him when we go to the park because because you know, that's where we got together. I kind of feel bad because I'm leaving Bella here by herself and I'm not sure if Phil attacked her that she could defend herself. But I'll write tomorrow with Jake's response because Bella's waking up._

_Later,_

_Olivia."_

I looked up, shocked. She was going to tell Jake that she loved him. But she died. No, she was murdered.

I felt….so sad, and so mixed up, that it was hard to put it in words. I ended up crying myself to sleep, again.

* * *

Please review! :) If you do, then I try to write and post faster. Thanks everybody on their Condolences. It didn't make it easier, but it made me feel... loved? yeah, thats the word I wanted to use.


	14. Chapter 13

I don't own Twilight :(

Thanks to my awesome beta, Rini! :)

WARNING: this chapter contains violence and suggested rape

* * *

I woke up exhausted, with an ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen today.

Despite that niggling feeling, I got out of bed, got dressed, and grabbed a strawberry poptart on my way out to my brand new truck that Charlie bought me.  
It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. When I first heard that Charlie had bought me a truck, I thought that I would hate it but to my intense surprise, I ended up loving it.

Of course, it had its setbacks as well. It was really loud and the radio had horrible reception. But how often did I actually plan on listening to something that I couldn't really understand unless I'm really focusing on it? And as far as I knew, none of us were planning any cross country trips in the near future.  
I sighed as I turned on the long driveway leading up to the Cullen house. I turned my truck off as soon as I parked it because the roaring sound was giving me a headache. I looked around, but there was no sign of Edward. An uneasy feeling crept over me as I wondered where he could be.

Normally when I came over, he was outside waiting for me as soon as he heard my truck. I sighed again and unwillingly got out of the warm truck cab and walked to the door.

There I found a note written in Edward's clear, elegant script:

_Love, Alice decided that we had to go hunting together because we needed to have some "family bonding time". The door is unlocked so you can go in and hang out. Please make yourself at home. Esme says that she just went to the store so there is food in the kitchen. Please take care of yourself and don't do anything stupid – or life threatening. I love you, Edward._

I smiled and went inside. I didn't want to be alone but I didn't know how long they would be gone, so I might as well put this time to some good use.

I went back out to my truck to get a box of Olivia's CD's. Oddly enough, I could have sworn that I heard a car coming up the driveway, but when I took a look, there was nothing there. No one - apart from a few people – knew where the Cullens lived, so who would be visiting them? Shaking my head at my own stupidity, I walked inside and popped in the first CD into the sound system.

Olivia's voice floated out of the speakers, sounding haunted and sad as she sang, "Come on, come on, don't leave me like this, I thought I had you figured out… something's gone terribly wrong, you won't finish what you started…come on, come on, don't leave me like this, I thought I had you figured out, but I can't breathe whenever you're gone, I can't go back cause I'm haunted."

The song echoed in my mind, the lyrics both dark and beautiful at the same time. I wondered when Olivia wrote it…and how it seemed to be getting easier to talk about her. Maybe, just maybe, I could tell the Cullens more about her….

While I was lost in my thoughts, the door flew open and the smell of alcohol seeped in. I quickly turned around, only to see Phil standing there, smiling menacingly at me.

"Ahhh, Olivia had such a pretty voice. Such a pretty little girl. I was so sad when I remembered that I killed her. She had so much potential too," he said with a sigh. His voice was worse than before, gravelly and thick as though he had a lump of cotton stuck in his throat. His teeth were yellower than before and his hair was greasy looking- like he hadn't washed it in a couple days. His eyes were wide, crazed and bloodshot and he was slurring his words. It was obvious that the alcohol had finally pushed him off the ledge.

"How did you find me?" I asked, fear making my voice shake. He stepped toward me and I took another step back.

"Oh, sweetheart," he said in a sickly sweet voice. "I followed your truck here. You really are extremely unobservant, just like that slut you called your sister," he growled at me.

I saw red. "Don't you_ dare_ call her that, you evil bastard!" I screamed at him.

He just smiled at me and shook his head.

"Stupid Bella, your 'innocent' sister wasn't a saint, like you believe," he told me.

"What do you mean?"

"Olivia wanted me. She wanted me so bad and I knew it too. So one day when she was off to see that little boyfriend of hers, I followed her. Every time they kissed, every little touch of theirs, I was brewing with jealousy and anger. So when they finally left and she went home, I was extremely grateful. I followed her back home. She got into the shower as soon as she got home, didn't even notice me," he added in disgust. "I got the key and unlocked the door and watched her. She was beautiful. The perfect size breasts and an ass that any girl would kill for. And seeing that water dripping off of her, I couldn't take it anymore. So I took off my clothes and joined her. The look in her eyes though, I couldn't put my finger on it," he said thoughtfully.

"It was probably disgust," I sneered at him.

His eyes flashed and he stormed over to me and hit me across the face with as much force as he could gather. My hand instantly went to where he had hit me.

"You're just jealous that nobody will ever want a dumb, deaf, bitch like you. The only reason that _Edward_," he sneered his name, "is with you right now is because he feels sorry for you. You're probably not even good in bed, unlike your sister. Best sex I ever had," he said wistfully.

I looked at him in anger.

"You fucking raped her?" I screamed at him. Then I snapped. I charged at him and slapped him as hard as I could.

"You little bitch!" he roared at me.

He went to grab me but I was too fast. I ran past him in an attempt to get to the phone to call Edward but Phil grabbed me and pulled me back. He pushed me back and I hit my head on Edward's bedpost. I waited until I wasn't dizzy anymore and then I kicked Phil's special area as hard as I could. He screamed in pain and grabbed it while I used that moment to escape. It rang five times before he picked up.

"Hello love," he said.

"Edward," I panted.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he all but screamed.

"Edward, Phil's here," I told him. He let out a string of curses and said, "Bella, I need you to get out of the house and get into your truck and get Charlie at the station. We'll be there soon. Go!" he urged and hung up.

I threw the phone back onto the counter and turned around, only to be face to face with a furious Phil.

"You think you can get away from me, you bitch? _No_ _one _gets away from me – you'll die the same death as your worthless sister!" he yelled at me.

He grabbed the first knife he saw. He put it on my throat and pushed it just enough to cut my throat just a little bit. He then proceeded to kick every inch of my body.

By the pain radiating through my body, I was sure that he had broken more than just a few bones. I was crying so hard by now that I could hardly breathe.

"Edward," I sobbed. Where was he? He would save me!

"Shut the _fuck _up, whore!" he growled at me, spit dripping off of his open mouth.

He then proceeded to take the knife off my throat and stabbed the old wound on my stomach. I cried in pain and almost passed out from the smell of the blood. I tried to pull the knife out but he just laughed and pushed it in father. I screamed in pain and kicked him again.

I ended up kicking his nose, making it bleed. He cussed loudly and then proceeded to throw everything in his reach at me. Once the chair hit me, the last thought I had before I passed out was that maybe, just maybe, I would get to see Olivia again.

* * *

okay, So if you liked it, please review! I'm also taking a suggestions on where i should go from here.

Who should find Bella?  
Should Bella be turned into a vampire?

What should happen to Phil?

I'm taking your opinions until next Monday night at nine, so that gives you a week. That should be enough, right?

Thank you again for reading this! You guys are the highlight of my day when i read your guys reviews! :)


	15. Chapter 14

I don't own Twilight, though I wished I did.

Thanks to my Beta, Rini, for putting up with all of my mistakes!

* * *

Emmett PoV

I couldn't believe that bastard got his fucking hands on her! My adorable, scared, timid, human, breakable, sweet, caring little sister in the hands of an unbalanced psychopath!  
I pushed my legs even faster at that thought, my family speeding up behind me. Oh yes, Phil was going to suffer a very long and very painful death very soon!

Once we arrived at the house, we were assaulted by the smell of Bella's blood and alcohol. I immediately stopped breathing and growled loudly. I charged at the door with my family right behind me and broke down the door with one hit.  
My heart broke at the sight in front of me. An unconscious Bella lay on the kitchen floor, with an enormous bump in her forehead and her shirt tore open and a knife in her stomach. Her pants were off too but thankfully her bra and panties were still on. I snarled and went to find that bastard Phil while Carlisle, Esme, and Edward went to help Bella.

I found him sneaking out in the back. I lunged at him and dragged him back into the house by his hair, ignoring his screams. Once we were back in the house, I grabbed him by the arms and pulled him up.

He sneered at me.

"Why are you trying to protect her? She's just going to die and I'm going to get off free again. So how about we just make this easy and you just let me go," he said.

I squeezed his arms and flashed him a menacing smile while Edward roared so loudly that it actually hurt my ears.

"Well, you see, I would, but that's my little sister that you just hurt and you don't hurt my family without getting in trouble. And as much as I would like to torture you right now, I can't because it would look suspicious when the police arrive, which will be any minute. And they will learn the truth. All of it," I told him calmly.

His jaw dropped in shock. After a minute or so to collect his thoughts, he replied, "And why would they believe you? Especially when I tell them how she told me that she was scared that if she didn't get out of Forks and away from Edward and the rest of you, then she was going to die?"

I couldn't believe the man. I was getting ready to give him a piece of my mind but my Rosie beat me to it.

"Listen here you fucker! The only reason I'm not kicking your sick, pathetic ass right now is because Jasper is attempting to calm me down. If I had it my way, you'd be dead by now. Bella is the best thing that has ever happened to my brother and I know for a fact that he would never do anything to hurt her. He worships the ground she walks on. And by the way, when did she tell you that? Because you haven't been alone with her since you guys arrived. And incidentally, if I were you, I would get a new cover story because the Cullen name is one of the most respected names in this town," she jeered at him.

Man, I love my Rosie. She's so hot when she's furious like that….. Focus Emmett! This sick fucker in front of me just did unspeakable things to my sister!

I growled loudly again and he turned around to look at me again, fear in his eyes. I walked up to him, making sure that our faces were only a couple of inches apart.

"Listen here buddy. You're going to tell me what you did to my sister and I'll try not to break every bone in your body. Got it?" I told him. He sneered at me.

"Your little sister? That slut is your little sister? You must have really low standards for your family. Because I can honestly tell you that whore over there does not love you. She is feeding you lies so that you'll feel sorry for her and pay for her to get her hearing."

I lost it.

"Shut the fuck up, you freaking child abuser! Bella is one of the sweetest and nicest people I have ever met. She never wanted our pity and didn't even want us to pay for her surgery because she's selfless! So if you're going to sit there and run your damn mouth then I suggest you at least learn the truth. And here it is. You're a sick, pathetic excuse for a human. You take your anger out on girls who can't protect themselves. You deserve to die a very painful death, just like Olivia did. Because pieces of shit like you don't deserve a chance at life. And when the police arrive, they will learn the truth."

Then I punched him. Not hard enough to knock him out or kill him, but hard enough so that he would have one hell of a headache tomorrow. Good, the douche bag deserved all the pain he can get. I smiled as he cried out in pain.

"Now, how about we try this again. What. Did. You. Do. To. Bella?" I roared at him.

He didn't get a chance to answer me, however, because the police broke down the door. Funny, I didn't even hear them coming up the driveway, even with my vampire hearing.

"Freeze!" they shouted, holding their guns in the air. I let go of Phil and pushed him toward the cops while smirking. Charlie grabbed Phil and put the handcuffs on him.

"You're under arrest for child abuse and assault. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during the questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?"

Huh, I thought that they only did that in those cop shows that I used to watch until I matured. Don't tell anybody this, but I still watch them in secret. But that's not important right now. We're talking about the idiot that just got arrested.

Speaking of stupid mistakes, he just made the biggest mistake that he could ever make. He wrestled his way out of Charlie's grip and ran away. I stood there, staring after him, my mouth gaping like a fish. But Charlie and his officers, calm as ever, just raised their guns, aimed, and shot. Phil collapsed in a puddle of his own blood.

I stared in shock for a moment and then went to help Rosie restrain Jasper if he needed help. Not that he needed it, really. Even though Jasper refuses to believe that he's stronger than he thinks, he really is. The only problem is his confidence.

Charlie went over to where Bella was to help calm Renee down; while Mark went with Phil in the ambulance to the hospital. After they had Bella somewhat stable, they put her into Charlie's cruiser and turned the lights on and sped to the hospital. The rest of us followed in Edward's Volvo and my jeep.

Once we arrived at the hospital, Carlisle went back in the ER to help Bella while the rest of us went into the waiting room. Edward put his head in his hands, looking tortured. I went over to him and my hand on his shoulder.

"Edward man, this isn't your fault," I told him. He shook his head.

"If I would have been there then nothing would have happened," he said.

"Even if you were there, he still would have found a way to get her. If you hadn't have showed up then she would be dead right now. You saved her. And she wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over it," I told him firmly. He smiled slightly.

"You're right Emmett," he said. I laughed.

"I'm _always_ right."

"In your dreams Emmett," he said, and then sighed. "I just wish that I could have gotten my hands on him."

"I wish that I could have killed him. She looked so pathetic there," I said, trying to get rid of the image of Bella laying there on the floor, nearly naked and broken. I don't know how long we sat there, lost in our thoughts, when Officer Mark came up to us, asking for our statements. I was the last one to give mine.

"My family and I were going to the grocery store because Alice decided that we needed to have family bonding time. Edward had left Bella a note telling her to go in and make herself at home. We were almost to the store when Edward got a call from Bella saying that Phil was there," I told him.

"How did you know that Phil was a threat?" he asked me. I sighed.

"Bella told us about how Phil used to hit her and Olivia," I told him and he looked sad.

"I knew Olivia. She was so protective of Bella. It's hard to imagine someone hitting them. But anyway, what did you do after that?" he asked.

"We immediately went straight back to the house. Once we arrived, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward went over to help Bella while the rest of us went looking for Phil. We found him outside and took him back inside while we waited for you guys to show up," I told him. He nodded and closed his little pad.

"What's going to happen to Phil?" I asked.

He smiled. "Well, if he lives then he'll be charged with resisting arrest, child abuse, and assault. He may be charged with more once we get Bella's side of the story. But that's only if he lives and right now, it's not looking too good," he told me.

"Good," I said with a straight face. With a thank you to Officer Mark, I went back to my family to wait to see how Bella was doing. It was another two hours before Carlisle came out with any news.

"It was touch and go for a while but we finally got her stable. She's lost a lot of blood so we had to give her some transfusions. She has a really bad concussion that we're going to watch really closely. She has three broken ribs and a fractured right wrist. She also has a pretty deep knife wound in her stomach along with a broken right leg. She also has cuts and bruises covering every inch of her body. The SAE kit also came up negative," he concluded. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

"When can we see her?" Edward asked.

"Well, Charlie and Renee are in there now but you can go in soon," he said. "Just a warning though, she's not going to look the same," he said but we were already down the hall and outside of Bella's room.

We all took a deep breath and opened the door. I was not expecting the scene in front of me. Bella was lying in the hospital bed looking sickly pale with bruises all over her. She had a cast on her right leg and on her right wrist. She also had tubes coming out of her everywhere. I walked over to her and then placed a kiss on her forehead and then walked back over to Rosie, placing a kiss on her lips.

"She'll be okay," she whispered to me softly.

I sure hope so, I thought to myself because if she's not, then our family would never be the same again.

* * *

Sorry this took forever to update! Between ice skating practices and finals, I just didn't have time to write. Thanks for all the awesome Suggestions! I took them into consderation but in the end, I just felt like she wasn't ready to become a vampire. I was going to post this tomorrow but I wasn't sure if I was even going to have time so I just posted it today, so this is your Early Christmas gift! I hope everybody has a fun and safe Christmas and New Years! :) I also just want to say that I would have given up on this story soooo long ago if it wasn't for your reviews so keep them coming!


	16. Author's Note 2

I'm sorry that this isn't an update! I really am! I was just letting you guys know that I haven't disappered and I haven't given up on this story. I am currently working on the next chapter but I'm not sure when it will be ready to publish. Between school starting back up and just being busy, I haven't have time to write.

Next, I just want to say thank you to everybody! You guys are what keep me writing and keep me happy. You guys honestly don't understand how happy you make me when you guys write reviews and when I get emails saying that people have added me to their alerts. It really does make my day, so keep it up!

On a much personal note, I'm going to be busy for the next couple of weeks. When I lost my parents, I lost a part of me. I knew that I had my sisters, but I was mad. At the world for taking my parents, at my parents for being gone, at me for being mad at my parents at something that they had no control over. It took a long time before I accepted that they weren't coming back. So for the next couple of weeks I'm going to help a local church do a grief counseling. I probably won't be emotionally able to write for at least a week, so please don't look for an update.

I'm sorry for all my rambling. I'll leave you guys alone now. Sorry for making you guys think that this was an update!

Katie


	17. Chapter 15

I don't own Twilight, although you should probably know that by now! :)

Again, thanks to my awesome beta, Rinni, who has put up with my long absents and horrible chapters :)

* * *

I struggled to open my eyes and when they did open, all I saw was the bright lights of the hospital. My head felt like Emmett and Jasper had been bouncing a freaking basketball on top of it and my body ached as if someone had dropped an enormous weight on me. My right leg and wrist were in a cast and I felt like I couldn't even lift them up. I had tubes and wires all over me and I groaned. I went to rip off the tube that was connected to my IV but a cold hand stopped me. I turned my head in the direction of the hand. Standing there staring at me was Emmett.

"Emmett?" I tried to say but stopped when I realized that something was very wrong. I couldn't hear anything! I stared at Em in panic but he just said, "Calm down."  
"Emmett, I can't hear!" I screamed at him.  
"They turned your implant off until you woke up. How are you feeling?" he signed to me.

Calm down? I'm deaf again! How does he except me to calm down? He sighed and said "Seriously, chill out. If you don't, then I'll get kicked out. Once they check you out, they'll turn your implant back on. But honestly, you're not missing much, just the annoying beeping of your heart monitor." I sighed and it hurt.

"I'm confused. What happened? Where's Edward?" He sighed and glanced at the door before turning back to me.

"I'm not sure how much I should tell you but I guess I'll just tell you what happened."

"We were all going hunting together and you came over to wait for us. Edward had left you a note, telling you to make yourself at home. We hadn't gotten very far out when Edward got a call from you saying that Phil was there. He told you to leave and go to Charlie. We immediately turned around to save you and kick Phil's ass. When we got there, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward all went over to help you while the rest of us took care of Phil," he signed. I started panicking again.

"What do you mean you took care of Phil? What happened to him? Why aren't you asking any of my questions?" I asked him furiously. To my displeasure, he started laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" I demanded. He stopped laughing and looked at me.

"You honestly need to calm down. I would answer your questions if you stopped interrupting me. Now, we held Phil and then gave him to your father when they arrived. He decided to be an idiot and try to run away from them and they shot him. They brought him here but he ended up dying anyway. Now, do you have any more questions?" He asked me with a smirk on his face.

"Yes. Where is Edward? And where are my parents?" I asked him.

"Edward is up with Carlisle and is coming down here with the rest of the family. Your parents are currently looking for a broom closet," he said while smirking.

I glared at him because that wasn't something to make jokes about. All I've wanted for years is for my parents to get back together and be a real family again.

"That isn't funny Emmett. Where are they?" I asked him again. He frowned and made kitty claws at me.

"Someone's on her period. Fine, your father is comforting your mom down the hallway. Do you want me to get them for you?" He asked me while looking at me funny. I gave him a weird look and said "Yes please."

He looked liked he wanted to come over here but suddenly changed his mind and left. What the heck? Why was he acting so weird? It was probably my pain medicine that was making me loopy. I closed my eyes and sighed. I hated the hospital. I hated the white halls, the smell of disinfection and death. Sure, I was surrounded by loved ones but the mere presence of death lingered at every inch of this place. This is the place where they bought Olivia and Aunt Marie. The place where Phil was laying, dying….

I blinked, bringing me out of my staring induced haze. I looked up to see my Mom and Dad. She had tears running down her face and he had her arm around her, confronting her. As soon as she saw that I was looking at her, she threw her arms around me, ignoring all my injuries completely. I winced and let out a small moan. My mom's eyes snapped open and she let go of me immediately.

"I'm so sorry sweetie!" She said, tears streaming faster down her face.

"Mom, it's fine," I told her honestly. I would rather be hurt and have her hug me then not feel her love for me.

"No, it's not," she said sadly. "I should have known. I should have seen the signs and stopped it. I could have saved you and Olivia." I shook my head, ignoring the pain. She needed to know that it wasn't her fault.

"Mom," I said hoarsely. "It's not your fault. She didn't know and we never told anybody. You weren't meant to see it. I don't blame you and Olivia didn't either. So please don't blame yourself." She smiled slightly but she shook her head.

"It's a mother's thing. You'll understand when you have kids," she explained. "But even if it wasn't my fault, I would still feel guilty. It was my job to protect to you and I failed. But why didn't you ever tell anyone?" she moaned.

I looked away, ashamed. But I saved from answering my parents by Carlisle coming in to check on me.

"Hello Bella. It's nice to see you up again. How are you feeling?" he asked me. I suddenly realized that I didn't know what day it was.

"What's today date?" I asked him. He smiled down at me.

"It's Wednesday. Everything happened on Saturday," he said, sensing my next question. "But you never did answer my question. How are you feeling?" He asked, smiling at me. I sighed.

"I'm… sore and confused and hurt," I told him honestly. He frowned but then smiled slightly.

"Well, that's to be expected. I will tell the nurse to get you some pain medicine. The family will be delighted to know that you're awake. I know Alice had a feeling that you would be up today," he said while winking at me.

I smiled at him and he left. I sighed again and turned back to my parents. Tears came to my eyes and I started to cry.

"I don't know why we never told anyone. I was ashamed and thought that we could handle everything on our own. I was wrong!" I cried out.

"If we would have told somebody then Olivia would still be alive!" I cried out, tears streaming down my face. My parents were crying too.

"Sweetie, nothing is your fault. Yes, we could have gotten you out of there faster if you had said something but you didn't ask for him to do anything that he did to you. I wish you would have told us, we would have gotten you away from there and all this could have been avoided," my mom said while crying. That did nothing except make me cry harder.

"Olivia wanted to tell someone. I saw it in her diary when you brought it to me. She wrote that we needed to tell someone before one of us got seriously hurt the day before… she died," I told them, hesitating a little at the end.

Do I tell them the truth? My dad picked up on my hesitance.

"Bella, please tell us everything you know. Don't keep it in to spare our feelings, because we need to know this stuff to get closure. So please tell us anything and everything that you know," He pleaded with me.

I took a deep breath and began. I told them everything; about how Phil took his anger out on us and about how I tried to stand up to him and got stabbed in the stomach. I told them everything that I could remember about the day that Olivia died.

"He told me when he attacked me that he, he..."

I couldn't say it. I didn't want to believe it. Why didn't she ever tell me? I thought that we were closer than that! I was always kind of jealous of her, because she always had everything. Mom liked her better, she had lots of friends at school, she could hear, she had something she was amazing at, and she had a boyfriend who loved her. But looking back now, I was ashamed that I was jealous of her. She had to live through much more than I did. She had to deal with all the rumors about me being a freak. I could escape reality by closing my eyes. She couldn't. I wish I could go back in time and trade places with her. She had a future ahead of her. She could have been a song writer or a singer. She could have gotten married to Jacob and started a beautiful family. I looked up at my parents and they smiled gently at me.

"Sweetie, it's okay. Please tell us," my mom said. I took a deep breath and continued.

"When he was talking to me, he admitted that he liked her romantically. He said that he…Well, that he raped her," I said then turned away fast.

I couldn't bear to see the disgusted looks that I knew that they would have. Would they be mad that I couldn't stop him from hurting her? Would they be disappointed that it wasn't me? I wouldn't be able to take any more heartbreak in my life right now. It seems like it just came out of nowhere and I can't take it anymore. I started bawling.

"I can't take it anymore. Why did he pick Olivia? Why couldn't he have picked me? I mean, I'm pretty much a disease anyway! I'm the reason you guys are divorced. I saw Olivia and Aunt Marie die. Everywhere I go, people get hurt. But if Phil would have killed me, then Olivia would still be alive and she and Jake could still be together. They could have gotten married and started a family. She could have been a singer or a songwriter. She could have had a perfect life but now she's dead. Why?" I cried out.

I turned so that I could look at my parents but I got a surprise. Along with my parents were Ali, Jake, Ryan, and the Cullen's. They all looked sad, surprised, and hurt all at the same time, which would have been very amusing in a different situation. Jake was the first to break the silence.

"How can you say that? Olivia loved you and would have wanted you to live a happy life, not one full of regret. She would have died for you any day. You don't realize how much she wanted to protect you. She was always talking about how there was some kind of threat in your life and how worried she was. If I would have known how it was, I would have gotten you guys out of that house a long time ago," he said while his eyes darkened at the thought of Phil.

I cried harder and shook my head. They didn't understand the guilt that was running through my veins. Jasper looked at me for a few moments and then asked if we could have a few minutes together. Everybody looked at him but did as he asked. We looked at each other for awhile before he broke the silence.

"I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't feel guilty," he told me. I looked at him in surprise.

"Well that's good because I wouldn't have listened to you anyway," I told him. He chuckled.

"It's normal for you to feel guilty after everything that you've been through. I would have been worried if you didn't feel guilty." I didn't respond. After a couple of minutes, I finally asked him something that has been on my mind for awhile.

"Will it ever go away?" I asked him quietly. He frowned and looked away, thinking.

"No, not completely. It will not be as strong though. You'll always wonder about the what-ifs; but everybody does it. You can't keep stuff like that in. It's not good for you. Plus, even though I didn't know Olivia, I know that she wouldn't want you to do that," he said finally. I sighed.

"I don't like feeling like this," I told him. He smiled slightly.

"Nobody does, sweetie. But the truth is that everybody feels like this at least once in their life. Now, do you want to tell me why all of a sudden you feel guilty? I mean, you always felt guilty but today you feel even guiltier," he tried, and failed, to explain. I sighed again.

"Can you go get everybody else?" I asked him. He frowned but nodded.

I knew that I had to tell them everything, even if I didn't exactly want to. After a couple of minutes, they walked through the door. Edward rushed over to me and said "I'm so sorry, Bella! Please don't ever scare me like that again!" I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"I'm sorry for scaring you Edward. For scaring all of you," I apologize to everybody. Ali came up to me and grabbed my hand that wasn't in a cast.

"Why didn't you tell us? We would have gotten you out of there," she moaned. I closed my eyes, feeling ashamed.

"I was scared and ashamed. Scared that you guys wouldn't believe me and ashamed that I let it happen. I'm sorry," I told her. She shook her head.

"No! It wasn't your fault. We should have seen it, saw the signs," she said. This time, I shook my head.

"It wasn't your fault. You never saw something that you weren't supposed to see. So please don't feel guilty. And Jake, she loved you," I told him, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, I know her, wait what?" he asked. I smiled slightly.

"I read her diary that my mom brought me. The day that she died, you guys were going to go to the park. She was going to tell you that she loved you," I told him sadly. He looked at me with tears in his eyes.

"Really?" he asked sadly.

"Yeah," I replied.

He let a few tears escape before he excused himself from the room. I watched him leave sadly. I didn't want him to leave but I knew that he was just trying to digest the info without breaking down in front of me. Trying to protect me, as always. I sighed and looked at Edward again.

"He told me something when he was talking to me," I told him quietly.

"What did he tell you sweetie?" he asked me. Tears filled my eyes.

"He said that he raped her." I looked up at him again. "Is it true?" I asked him. He shook his head and frowned.

"I don't know. By the time we got there, all I was focused about was you. Of course, I was keeping an eye on him just in case but I wasn't focused enough to know that," he told me sadly.

"So it could be true," I stated. He didn't say anything but he didn't have too. The silence said everything. I started crying and Edward held me in his arms as I cried. I fell asleep in his arms.

* * *

I got released a week later. I was staying at the Cullen's house so that Carlisle can watch over me. My mom was staying with Charlie because she didn't want to stay at the house where her abusive husband killed her daughter. I can't say that I blame her. I just hope that she isn't leading Charlie on. He's the happiest that I've seen him since everything happened but I don't know how he would handle it if she just left him again.

But anyway, a couple of days after I woke up I had to give the police my statement. Let's just say that there are pretty much no secrets anymore. When I say pretty much, I mean that they don't know the Cullen's secret because, well who would believe that? I also got my implant turned back on. Nobody was 100 percent sure whether it would still work or not but when they turned it back on, there was no denying that it still worked. Unless I was imagining all the sounds that I was hearing, that would explain a lot. But I don't know what I would have done if it wouldn't have worked. Now that I have heard, I don't know what I would have done if I had to readjust to being deaf again. It wouldn't have been impossible, but it definitely would have been difficult. The door opened and Jake walked in.

"Hey," he said while I scouted over so he could join me on the bed.

"Hey. How are you?" I asked him cautiously. Ever since I told him that Olivia loved him, he had been quiet and kind of depressed. But, at least in my perspective, he had every right to be.

"Eh, I've been better. But isn't that my job, asking you how you are?" he asked. I smiled slightly, he was getting better.

"I don't really know anymore," I told him honestly. He sighed.

"I know what you mean," he said to me. I struggled to sit up for a minute before I admitted that I needed help. He laughed and helped me up.

"You haven't changed that much," he said. I smiled and then sighed.

"Will you go and get by bag?" I asked him while pointing to the bag that was lying at the foot of the bed. I would have gotten it myself but I didn't feel like falling over. He got up and got it and then handed it to me. I smiled at the confused look on his face. I dug through my bag until I found what I was looking for. I smiled sadly when I pulled it on.

"I think you need to read it. You can learn everything that she loved about you, the good and the bad. You never got closure and it's time that you did," I told him. He hesitantly reached out and grabbed it. He looked at me and smiled sadly.

"Thank you. You're right though. I never did closure. I always held on to the small hope that she wasn't dead. But it's time to move on and maybe knowing her thoughts will help with that. I was wrong before though," he said. I frowned.

"What were you wrong about?" I asked him.

"You have changed, but not in a bad way. You're more confident and happy. I know that you always felt like the fifth wheel but you're not anymore. Edward is good for you. Just give me a call if he hurts you and we'll be up here in a flash to kick his ass," he told me. I laughed.

"I don't think that Edward would hurt me but if he does, then you have permission to kick his ass. Now go," I commanded him. He laughed, kissed my forehead and left. I sighed.

I felt bad because I know that he probably would never truly move on from Olivia. I looked up as Edward came to lie beside me where Jake had been a couple of minutes ago.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I hate getting asked that question. It just reminds me that I've been beat up by somebody that was supposed to love and take of me," I told him. He frowned at me. "Seriously Bella, how are you?" he asked.

"How am I supposed to feel?" I asked him right back but regretted it almost instantly. He was just worried about me and didn't need my attitude.

"Don't feel bad," he whispered while caressing my check. "There's no set way on how you should feel. But like Jasper said, keeping it in won't help. Do you want to talk about how your feeling?" he asked me. After a while, I spoke.

"I'm so confused. I'm glad that Phil is gone and will never hurt me again but then I feel sick when I think that. Then I'm sad because of what he did to Olivia and then kind of hurt that she didn't tell me. But then I'm mad at myself because I'm mad at her when it wasn't her fault. I'm just so confused," I cried.

"Shhh. It's alright," Edward murmured to me. And he was right. It wasn't alright right then but it would be eventually. I would make sure of it.

* * *

"Edward, please shut up," Emmett moaned. Edward just growled at him while I laughed at him.

Edward, Emmett, and I were sitting alone in the Cullen house while the rest of them went hunting. Jake, Ali, and Ryan had left a week earlier because they had to go back to school. I and Edward had been having some us time while Emmett was watching TV. Emmett was now telling us to either stop or watch TV with him or to go somewhere else and make out.

See, Emmett had played a prank on me to try to cheer me up. Well, the prank ended up scaring the living daylights out of me and so Rosalie had banned him from sex for three weeks. It's only been 4 days since she banned him and the effects were wearing on Emmett and Jasper was doing that entire he could to make it even more miserable for him. It was quite funny actually but I kind of feel for him. I stopped laughing as it was making my ribs hurt again. I sighed and shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. Edward noticed me squirming and asked if I was alright, which I lied and told him that I was fine. He looked at me disbelieving but didn't question it further.

"So how much longer do you have, Emmett?" I asked him.

"17 days," He all but moaned.

I laughed and he glared at me, which just made me laugh harder. I stopped suddenly because all that laughing was pulling at my staples in my stomach. I groaned and went to grab my stomach but stopped when I remembered that it would just hurt worst if I touched them.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Edward and Emmett screamed at the same time. And trust me, it was REALLY loud. I winced and cover my ears with my hands.

I was used to hearing now and could match several sounds with the things that make it because that's what I and everybody else work on because there really isn't anything else that I can do with my bum wrist, leg, and ribs. But just because I was used to sounds, doesn't mean that I'm used to really loud sounds. Like two vampires yelling at the same time.

"I'm fine now. I just have to remember that I can't laugh that hard because it pulls at my staples. When do I get those out, by the way?" I asked Edward.

"Next month. Are you sure that you're okay?" he asked worriedly. I rolled my eyes but smiled at the same time.

"I'm fine, like I told you. Now by the way, can you two please not yell at the same time?" I asked them. They both smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Bella," they replied innocently. I didn't buy it for a second.

* * *

Today was the day that my childhood fantasies are coming true. I can't wait! My parents are getting married again. It's been two years since the whole Phil thing and I can't even remember a time when I've seen my parents so happy. And I love it. My dad eventually asked my mom out for coffee so that they could discuss everything that had happened and they really haven't been apart since then. My dad eventually asked my mom to remarry him and she said yes. They've been planning this wedding for 6 months now and today they are getting married.

My mom looks so beautiful. She has on the gown that my Grandma Swan wore on her wedding day. I was her only bridesmaid and I was wearing a dark blue dress that Alice said "brought out my eyes" and she promised that Edward would love me in it. I told her that he should love me in whatever I chose to wear. She just rolled her eyes in response.

"You look beautiful mom," I told her honestly. She turned to look at me and I saw that she had tears in her eyes.

"Thank you sweetie. I can't believe that I'm marrying your father. Again," she added when I raised my eyebrows at her. I laughed and hugged her. Alice walked in at that moment.

"It's time," she sang. I raised my eyebrows at her and she just smiled.

"Oh my goodness. I'm not sure if I can do this," my mother cried out. I sighed and walked over to her. She has been like this for the past week. I stared into her eyes.

"You can do this, mom. You have done this mom. Everybody who loves you is here. Olivia is watching over you. Heck, she's probably throwing a party in heaven right now. She would want you to do this," I said. She smiled her watery smile in thanks.

"It's time mom. Are you ready?" She nodded and I grinned. "Then let's go."

* * *

It's been a year since my parents have gotten married. I have moved out of my parent's house because I could I only take so much of hearing my parents in the newlywed stage. I moved into the Cullen's house and just enjoying being lazy and being able to hang out with my new family. However, I and Edward are getting ready to go leave Forks with the rest of the Cullen's and start attending Dartmouth. Or at least that is what everybody thinks. We really are moving out to New Hampshire but we're not going to college. I am officially ready to be with Edward forever. I've said my goodbyes to my parents and friends. I mean, of course I'm going to miss everybody, but it's time that I live my life. I owe that to Olivia, at the very least. She gave up her life for me, and now, I'm going to live mine. I have lived to long in other people's shadows and with all this guilt. I've been realizing for a while, with the Cullen's help of course, that nothing that happened was my fault and that they would want me to do my best and to by happy. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to live my life, my way starting today.

* * *

**Author's note:** Okay, so this is officialy the last chapter in Learning to Love. I'm kind of sad to have to end this story here but it's the right thing to do. I just don't have time between the whole church grief support group, ice skating, school, and family. However, I would like to put out there that whenever I have free time, I am writing another story, which is currently not named. I want to finish writing it or get close to finishing it before I publish it though, because it would make updating a heck of a lot faster! So if you are interested in reading it, put me on Author alert! :)

I'm sorry for the long wait between the last update and this update. It's just that life has been really hetic. It's as simple as that.

PS: I want to personally thank everybody who sent me get well wishes. I am doing much better with accepting everything that has happened. Thank you all for understanding and be supporting.

Again, please review! The only way I can get better is by you guys telling me what I need to improve on! :)


	18. Author's Note 3

Thank you all for reading this story. I'm so thankful for all of you guys because you helped me through a very rough year in my life. I just want to say in regards to this story that if you or anybody you know is getting abused in way, please know that you are not alone. This happens to millions of people all over the world every day. Please get help. You can call 800.621. HOPE for any advice on leaving the situation. But please, don't stay somewhere were you are getting abused.

* * *

On a happier note, here is the summary for my next story. It won't be published before July just because I can only write on the weekends because my life is so hetic right now. And I want to write the whole story before I publish it just because it would make my life a whole heck of a lot easier.

_Isabella Swan was 8 years old when she lost her father in the 9/11 attacks. She's now 18 and going to live with her Uncle Charlie. But why is she leaving the place that was her home for 18 years? And why is she so hesitant to get close to Edward Cullen when she so obviously likes him?_

_So, like it? Not liking it? Please leave me your thoughts and tell me if you would be interested in reading it and any suggestions you have. Thank you!_


	19. Author's Note Again

Hey guys, long time no see! I'm still alive, if any of you guys were wondering that. I know that I promised you guys a new story in August but I never posted anything. At the beginning of August, I was walking to a friend's house and got hit by a car. I was in a coma for a couple of weeks and after I woke up, I was in the hospital for about a month after that. I have had three surgeries so far and I still have a couple more to go. It takes a lot of my energy to get up and go to school. I'm still trying to get caught up from the time I missed at the beginning of this school year. I'm actually supposed to be doing homework right now but we won't even talk about all that. I write when I have time, but I don't have a lot of extra time right now. I can't even dance in show choir this year! :( But anyway, I'm trying my hardest to write this new story and get it to you guys. And I'm also looking for a beta, if anyone is interested, please PM me! : ) And I hope you all have a safe and happy Holidays!


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